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Volvo Trucks has introduced “Safety Zones,” a new digital service designed to automatically limit truck speed in designated geographical areas. This innovative feature, which utilizes geofencing technology, is aimed at significantly increasing traffic safety in sensitive environments.
Key Highlights:
- Volvo Trucks has launched Safety Zones, a new service that uses geofencing to automatically enforce speed limits.
- The primary goal is to enhance safety in busy locations such as city centers, school zones, and logistics hubs.
- Fleet managers can define specific zones and speed limits through the Volvo Connect digital portal.
- The system actively brakes if a truck enters a zone above the set speed and is available for both new and existing heavy-duty and electric models.
Enhancing Urban and Industrial Safety
The implementation of Safety Zones is a strategic step toward reducing accidents and improving safety in high-traffic areas. For transport companies, this service provides a reliable method for ensuring vehicles adhere to low-speed requirements in places like harbors or busy city streets where pedestrians and other vehicles are numerous. This not only protects the public but also helps prevent damage to vehicles and infrastructure within depots. Furthermore, it can reduce driver stress by removing the risk of accidentally exceeding a speed limit in a critical zone.
How Geofencing Technology Works
The Safety Zones service operates through Volvo Connect, the company’s digital interface for fleet management. A fleet manager uses a digital map within the portal to create predefined geographical areas, or “geofences.” For each zone, a specific speed limit, starting from 20 km/h, can be configured.
When a truck equipped with the service enters one of these zones, its position is transmitted via an onboard telematic unit. The system then automatically restricts the vehicle’s speed. If the truck is moving faster than the zone’s limit upon entry, the engine will actively brake to slow the vehicle to the appropriate speed. The driver is alerted to the active speed limit through the instrument display. For emergency situations, a driver can override the limitation by fully depressing the accelerator pedal.
Availability and Integration
This new safety feature is available as a subscription service and is compatible with Volvo’s heavy-duty trucks, including the FH, FM, and FMX Euro 6 models, as well as trucks with electric drivelines manufactured since late 2022. This includes the new, all-electric Volvo FM Low Entry, a model specifically designed for urban transport.
The rollout for the Safety Zones service begins in June 2025 for new trucks, with availability for existing compatible trucks starting in September 2025. Fleet managers will receive notifications through Volvo Connect when a vehicle enters or leaves a zone, and if a driver overrides the set speed limit, ensuring complete oversight.
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