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Source: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announcement
ELYRIA, Ohio – With a decision that helps enable the next generation of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and provides fleets with even more valuable data and options to enhance vehicle, driver, and roadway safety, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC has received a five-year regulatory exemption for Bendix’s windshield-mounted video cameras.
These components are part of the Bendix® Wingman® Fusion™ collision mitigation technology, AutoVue® 4G Lane Departure Warning (LDW) System by Bendix CVS, and SafetyDirect® by Bendix CVS. The exemption allows the housing for the Bendix safety cameras – including a driver-facing camera as part of the SafetyDirect system – to be mounted slightly lower on the interior of the windshield than was previously permitted.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced its decision April 6, and the exemption is in effect until April 6, 2026.
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“As more fleets, drivers, and truck builders incorporate these safety technologies into their vehicles, it’s important that we’re able to continue advancing the systems without fleets and drivers having to worry about violating windshield clearance rules,” said Fred Andersky, Bendix director – demos, sales, and service training. “This decision builds on similar previous exemptions that were made permanent, and it’s limited to the Bendix camera housing – which is about 5.6 inches tall and 5.4 inches wide. It allows the bottom of the component to reach eight inches below the top of the area swept by the windshield wipers – about an inch lower than the current regulation permits.”
In announcing the decision, the FMCSA noted, “The Agency has determined that lower placement of the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) technology would not have an adverse impact on safety and that adherence to the terms and conditions of the exemption would likely achieve a level of safety equivalent to, or greater than, the level of safety provided by the regulation.”
Windshield-Mounted Safety Tech
Under the FMCSA prohibitions on obstructions to a driver’s field of view, devices such as antennas or transponders that are mounted at the top of a windshield must be located outside the area swept by the windshield wipers. Because the Wingman® Fusion™ active safety system and AutoVue® LDW are effective in most weather conditions where lane markings are visible, the systems’ forward-facing cameras need to be mounted within the swept area of the windshield wipers.
Motor carriers using approved safety technologies such as lane departure warning systems and collision mitigation systems can mount devices within the newly revised area, although the devices must still remain outside the driver’s sight lines to the road, highway signs, and signals.
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The driver-facing camera covered by the exemption is part of the powerful fifth generation of the SafetyDirect® processor platform, which Bendix launched in 2019. SafetyDirect is the user-friendly web portal that provides fleet operators with comprehensive feedback on their fleet and drivers, along with videos of severe events. The system wirelessly transmits real-time data and event-based information from a vehicle’s J1939 network to the fleet’s back office for analysis.
