Sign up for our weekly email to stay on top of the latest news and insights!
Source: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announcement
AVON, Ohio – Whether your fleet is large, small, or a single tractor-trailer, nobody wants to deal with a rollover: They’re dangerous, expensive, and can be damaging to your reputation. This installment of the Bendix Tech Tips series provides drivers and technicians with insights on the operation and maintenance of trailer roll stability systems that are designed to help prevent rollovers.
“Full-stability systems for tractors – like the Bendix® ESP® system – have been mandatory on new tractors since 2017 and were standard on many makes and models even before then,” said TJ Thomas, director of marketing and customer solutions – Controls Group at Bendix. “Trailer roll stability technology provides additional protection against rollovers, whether or not the attached tractor is equipped with a stability system – which is important in situations where a fleet might not know all the specs of every tractor that hooks up to its trailers.”
The Basics of Trailer Stability
A trailer roll stability program (TRSP), like the Bendix® family of TABS (Trailer Antilock Braking Systems) solutions, uses sensors and wheel-end controls to detect conditions that may lead to a rollover and then intervene through brake applications, typically before the driver realizes an intervention is needed. There are two basic types of trailer TRSPs: single-channel and multichannel.
Single-channel configurations are typically built on an antilock braking system (ABS) configuration of two sensors and one modulator (2S/1M). This is a simple and popular solution that adds less weight without sacrificing performance and allows for easy installation and maintenance. It’s also a good choice for fleets looking to add trailer stability to an existing ABS system.
Sign up for our weekly email to stay on top of the latest news and insights!
Multichannel TRSPs address different demands: They’ll be easier to install on vehicles with ABS systems that are already built with multiple sensor-and-modulator configurations, such as 2S/2M or 4S/2M. Additionally, tandem axle trailers are better served by a multichannel option, since each axle is sensed and controlled. Most key components of a multichannel TRSP are efficiently housed in a single, environmentally protected modular unit.
