Bendix wingman

I had the distinct mispleasure of this POS system while at JBI....

Many of our guys would intentionally 'damage' the device while explaining to management 'it somehow doesn't work sir!'

Who's driving the truck? The driver or bendix? Let us know

 

I took a job with a fleet that had all this "safety" shtuff, they gave me 60 day probationary period, and I gave them 90 days Probationary period (gave them 3 weeks notice on day 92 because of 4th of July holliday).
I am glad I did it ! now I understand why I see trucks hitting there brakes a ridiculous amount of times going down hills, long drag races, Gouging brakes on corners, sitting on the fuel island for 30 mins, driving under 5 mph on the shoulder...
In my first week I lost any hope of having a safety bonus Mainly from a "Bendix roll over event" 5-7 miles an hour over advised speed around a corner with a low center gravity load of rock, and my unwillingness to tail gate another truck so that I could either speed for under 30 seconds and get around him without triggering a "speeding event" (6 mph over posted). or drag race and hold up traffic.

OP you have a good point about winter driving! I asked the safety man, " If I was close to a roll over then what sense does it make having a device gouge the brakes", He told me only the trlr brakes are applied so there is no danger (I knew that).
Later I wished I had asked him, what happens to the driver who is following me?

 

I love how the bendix all of the sudden bypasses you, the driver, and brakes the truck without your consent on a corner and you're like.....wtf

 

Hey I couldn’t have stayed there for 90 days if it weren’t for the laughs. At 60 days they arranged a load to the yard and two of them took me in an office, The more serious they’re facial expressions got while they were telling me I was a "non-compliant, unsafe driver" who appeared to be "a driver in a hurry" the harder I laughed! I even made one of them bust up laughing a couple times. Finally they asked me if I wanted to be there, I said yes, and they got me a load home, lol.
The interrogation was based on a computer print out of my first week there, and I disproved almost everything I was accused of because the arrogant fool couldn’t even read the data correctly.
The writers for Saturday night live would kill for this kind of content!

 

Its nondriving educated fools doing all of this, and utilizing the junk data!
Same fools who see a drivers logbook from an accident scene was not properly done, or the driver didnt take his 30, so blame it on driver fatigue!

 

I can't comment on company policy for disabling a safely device, but always assume you can and will be fired. Anyway, disabling the Wingman will also disable the cruise control and cause a check engine light. That is a device that communicates with the engine and the ECM will expect to see it on the datalink.

 

This system is flawed and very unreliable. I go under an overpass and the bendix SLAMS THE BRAKES. It almost caused the truck behind me to slam into me. It has also at times picked up vehicles exiting offramp and slam the brakes on for no reason. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen!!