GREENSBORO, N.C. (March 25, 2004) Volvo Trucks North America Inc. will offer the ABS-6 antilock brake system made by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC on the Volvo VN and Volvo VHD.

Beginning in early 2005, Bendix’s ABS-6 will be Volvo’s standard antilock brake system in North America, while ABS-6 Advanced with ESP will be a customer-specified option. Antilock brake systems are required by law on trucks sold in North America.

ESP is able to selectively apply the brakes on individual wheel-ends, depending on driving conditions, vehicle speed and other inputs from onboard sensors. This assists the driver to reduce speed, keep the vehicle in proper alignment, and reduce the tendency for the truck and trailer to slide or jackknife. This stability function is known as yaw control. In addition to jackknifes, yaw control is a safety advantage in situations involving oversteer or understeer, and sudden transitions from dry to slippery surfaces.

The Roll Stability Program (RSP) — an element of ESP — monitors inputs from sensors and applies all available brakes on a vehicle to rapidly reduce rollover potential while turning, a consideration for fleets operating high center-of-gravity trucks. Rollover is an especially dangerous accident for truck drivers, contributing to 58 per cent of truck driver accident fatalities in the U.S. , according to a study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.