Meritor Inc. launched an educational campaign at Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) 2014 to help truck operators understand how the company’s aftermarket brake products and automatic tire inflation parts enhance safety and improve their ability to comply with federal regulations.
Meritor’s aftermarket team plans to share this message with truck operators in a free informational kit and industry advertising. The goal is to assure trucking companies of all sizes that they’re using the right parts to ensure proper vehicle stopping power and minimize or eliminate specific Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) violations. Meritor’s DriveForce sales and service team will also speak about safety and compliance issues during meetings with fleet customers at HDAW 2014.
“We want to help truck operators safeguard their drivers, vehicles, productivity and business by making sure their brakes and tires are up to regulatory standards,” said Terry Livingston, general manager, Global Product Management and Shared Services, Aftermarket & Trailer, Meritor.
Today’s commercial vehicle brakes are engineered to deliver enhanced stopping power and shorter stopping distances to meet the NHTSA’s new FMVSS 121 reduced stopping distance (RSD) regulations.
Livingston emphasized that the RSD regulations generally affect tractors sold as new after 2011 and 2013 and not necessarily all vehicles currently on the road. He added that worn RSD friction must be replaced with a similarly rated friction to maintain RSD-mandated stopping power on new tractors. Meritor’s RSD-compliant friction is available on new and remanufactured brake shoes.
“The safety advantage of the increased stopping power is maintained when truck operators replace worn OEM RSD friction only with OEM RSD friction,” Livingston said.
Meritor supplies more than 2 million cam brake assemblies annually for leading truck and trailer OEMs. The company’s portfolio of friction materials has been reengineered to offer improved lining life, resulting in longer intervals between maintenance and greater in-service productivity.
The Meritor Tire Inflation System (MTIS) by P.S.I. also contributes to vehicle safety. It harnesses a trailer’s existing air supply to keep tires fully inflated to specification even when the vehicle is moving. The system extends tire life by 10 percent, increases fuel economy by 1.4 percent and lowers maintenance costs.
“Properly inflated tires are essential to safe operation and help lower out-of-pocket costs by reducing roadside service calls and inspection citations,” Livingston said.