Messerschmidt and Austin to Present at the 2012 ARC-CSI Crash Conference

Kelly Messerschmidt
Technical Communications Manager

Bill Messerschmidt of MSC, and Tim Austin of the Wisconsin State Patrol Academy will give a presentation on “Using ECM Diagnostic Data in Crash Reconstruction” at the 2012 ARC-CSI Crash Conference, which will take place June 4-7, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Messerschmidt and Austin’s presentation explores the presence of important, volatile fault data in heavy vehicle Engine Control Modules (ECMs) that are oftentimes ignored, inadvertently erased, or overwritten during the ECM data imaging process.

They will discuss how and when diagnostic records are written, how they can be useful in collision investigations, as well as how the data can be preserved correctly. Messerschmidt and Austin will describe data imaging methods, such as the use of surrogate vehicles and devices like the “Truck in a Box.”

The ARC-CSI Crash Conference takes place annually and—as they have done for the past 10 years—the ARC-CSI Crash Team will conduct multiple, fully instrumented live crash tests of vehicles in real world crash scenarios. Learn more about the crash tests.

The two days that follow crash test day are comprised of technical presentations given by experts from around the world on topics relevant to investigating and reconstructing vehicle collisions. Learn more about the topics and speakers for the 2012 ARC-CSI Crash Conference.

Register to attend this year’s conference.

AL Governor Bentley Signs Law to Prohibit Texting While Driving

Kevin Jones
Technical Analyst

On Tuesday, 08 May 2012, Alabama governor Robert Bentley signed a bill that outlaws texting while driving. The law goes into effect on 01 August 2012. The law doesn’t prohibit dialing a phone; however, it does ban texting, instant messaging, and sending emails while operating an automobile.

Alabama is the 38th state to make texting while driving illegal. Under the new law, if a person is ticketed for a texting-while-driving offense, he or she could be fined up to $75 and receive violations on his or her driving record. Gov. Bentley compared the new law to Alabama’s seatbelt law, which is also a measure to prevent fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

Read a news article about Alabama’s new law banning texting while driving.

Finishing the Third Class on How to Interpret HVEDR Data

Today the third class on How to Interpret HVEDR Data through the Tulsa University CESE concluded. On Thursday, we covered Caterpillar, International, PACCAR, and Hino ECMs, as well as Bendix ABS systems, telematics, and the HVEDR research that has been done since 1998. Today, we reviewed the testing that was done on Wednesday, and provided the student participants with 701.9MB of data on CDs.

The TU CESE concluded with a pass/fail test, and we were pleased that all the students passed. Considering the previous academic achievements of these students, a 100% pass rate was to be expected.

As one of the principle instructors and course designers, I greatly appreciate the assistance and hard work of my co-instructors, Ron Baade and Dr. Jeremy Daily. Their hard work and the contribution of others who offered assistance, data, and test results is greatly appreciated. Special thanks are due to Tim Austin and the Wisconsin State Patrol, who shared test data that were only a few weeks old.

FMCSA Releases Research on Benefits of Speed Limiters in Large Trucks

Benjamin Smith
Principal Technical Analyst
MSC MS

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released research this week on the benefits of using speed limiters (SLs), also known as speed governors, in large trucks. For more information, view the FMCSA's document, titled "Speed-Limiters."  
SLs are a technology that allows trucking fleets or truck owners to program a preset maximum speed of travel. Many trucking fleets use SLs not only to increase safety by reducing their trucks’ top speed, but also to reduce tire wear, extend the life of the brakes and engine, improve fuel economy, and so on.  

In January 2011, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed limiting the speed of all heavy trucks to 68mph. NHTSA stated its intent to initiate the rulemaking process on this issue in 2012. Read NHTSA's notice in the Jan. 3, 2011 Federal Register.   

Viewpoints differ on the issue of mandating the use of SLs in heavy trucks. Agencies and groups such as the American Trucking Associations (ATA), Road Safe America, and the Truckload Carriers Association, have stated their support for SLs in large trucks for reasons including reduced severity of crashes and various economic benefits. However, critics of government-mandated SLs, such as the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association (OOIDA), have stated their opposition for reasons such as the potential for speed-governed trucks to become “rolling roadblocks” when operating in faster flows of traffic.  

Research published in the American Journal of Public Health in March 2009, titled “The Effect of State Regulations on Truck-Crash Fatalities,” examines the effects of certain traffic safety policies and restrictions on fatality rates in truck-involved crashes.

How to Interpret Heavy Vehicle EDR Data, Day 3

William Messerschmidt
Principal Technical Analyst 

Today marked the third day of the TU HVEDR class, which is the day we set aside for field work and demonstrations.

In the morning, participants got to begin hands-on ECM downloads of Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar, and Cummins ECMs. Dr. Daily and his graduate students also assisted in demonstrating actual data transmissions over the J1939 network.

Freightliner of Tulsa brought a brand new 2012 Freightliner Cascadia with DDEC 10 electronics. Participants got to download the truck using DDEC Reports and DDDL 7 software and see (on a clean, new truck) the parts specific to Sustained Catalytic Reduction (SCR), like the Aftertreatment Control Module (ACM) and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF) tank.

In the afternoon, we went to the Tulsa Fairgrounds and had the chance to test two fully instrumented Kenworth tractors, which were donated by Melton Transportation. Tests were performed with a Road Relay 4 attached, with a Safety Pass Pro attached, and with parameter changes made to some of the trucks' parameters. Using a Video VBox 4, we were able to capture CAN data on vehicle speed, engine speed brake, and clutch status (and other parameters as well).

Thanks to the assistance of the Tulsa Fire Department, Freightliner of Tulsa, Melton Transportation, today's field day was a very successful event!