A proven technology that helps mitigate or possibly prevent loss-of-control and rollover conditions, Bendix ESP has been equipped on more than 700,000 commercial vehicles in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico since its launch in 2005. Bendix, a U.S. is the North American leader in the development and manufacture of active safety, air management, and braking solutions for commercial vehicles.
“Even before full-stability systems became required technology on most commercial vehicles in 2017, they were essentially a safety standard among truck manufacturers and many fleets,” said TJ Thomas, Bendix director of marketing and customer solutions, Controls group. “Blue Bird took the lead in mak-ing full stability available on school buses, and Bendix is proud to build on our shared commitment to safer vehicles for students and bus drivers – there’s no more important cargo on the roads, after all.”
Fort Valley, Georgia-based Blue Bird is the leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses in the U.S., with more than 550,000 buses sold since its formation in 1927 and with more than 180,000 buses in operation today. The company employs more than 2,000 people in its Georgia manufacturing facilities and an extensive network of dealers and service facilities throughout North America. In 2014, Blue Bird became the first North American school bus manufacturer to offer full-stability technology, when it made Bendix ESP available as an option on its conventional school buses.
“Nothing is more important to us than safety,” said Mark Terry, chief commercial officer at Blue Bird Corporation. “Bendix is a great partner, and we are excited to standardize their ESP system, having been first in the industry to offer full stability by Bendix as an option for the past three years.”
Bendix ESP is an antilock braking system (ABS)-based stability technology that recognizes and as-sists with both rollover and vehicle under- and over-steer driving situations. ESP uses a series of sensors to continuously monitor vehicle parameters, including wheel speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle, brake pressure, and yaw rate. These sensors combine to measure driver intent and vehicle direction, helping to mitigate skids, slides, and loss of control – including rollovers – through interventions such as de-throttling the engine and selectively applying the brakes, typically reacting faster than a human can.
