LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems continues to build on its suite of active safety systems, while reaching new milestones with its existing offerings.

At the Mid-America Trucking Show, Fred Andersky, director of government affairs with Bendix, said there are now 175,000 of the company’s electronic stability program (ESP) systems in the field, up from 100,000 at the end of 2010. Its market penetration grew from 13% in 2010 to 17% in 2011, Andersky said. He predicted by sometime in the third quarter of 2012 there will be 200,000 trucks in the market with Bendix ESP.

Bendix is expecting to see a notice of proposed rulemaking from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that would require stability systems on heavy trucks sometime before the end of April.

“We anticipate it’s going to be a full-stability mandate and we feel that way because NHTSA’s own research shows electronic stability control can do more to save more lives and reduce more crashes and reduce more injuries than roll stability control,” he said. When the notice is released, Andersky said it’s likely to have a lengthy comment period attached to it and the mandate could go into effect within 18 months to two years.

At the Mid-America Trucking Show, Bendix announced a new SmarTire tire pressure monitoring system for trailers. The new product will be released in the third quarter as an aftermarket retrofit kit, consisting of eight wheel sensors, harnessing, and a wireless receiver. It will automatically detect SmarTire sensors on the tractor, providing a full scope of tire pressure visibility to drivers.

Also new is eTrac, an automated air pressure transfer system for Bendix ABS-6 braking systems with automatic traction control, which will help 6×2 trucks and tractors launch from a standstill.

The system automates air pressure transfer, automatically engaging and disengaging the vehicle’s airbag pressure transfer system during low traction events. Pressure is transferred from the undriven axle to the driven axle without requiring driver input, allowing the truck to gain traction in slippery or uphill environments, the company explained.