Construction Equipment Guide • Truck & Trailer Section • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • January 2, 2022 • Page 39
Kenworth C500 Now Available With Bendix ESP System Kenworth recently announced that the Bendix ESP Electronic Stability Program is now available as an option for the Kenworth C500. The Kenworth C500 is Kenworth’s largest workhorse truck with a GCWR up to 500,000 pounds. It can be used for a variety of tough off-road and heavy-haul applications. The Bendix stability system for the Kenworth C500 comes with the Bendix 6S/6M configuration, which has six sensors and six modulators, and includes Bendix Smart ATC Automatic Traction Control and Bendix ESP. The Bendix technology is designed to help stabilize the vehicle during loss of control situations on dry, wet, snow and ice-covered roadways. In addition to using sensors that monitor lateral acceleration, as found on some roll-only systems, the Bendix ESP full-stability system also uses sensors to monitor steering angle and vehicle direction. This allows for detection of a vehicle’s impending loss of stability and automatic intervention through de-throttling of the engine and selective application of tractor steer and drive axle brakes, along with trailer brakes, helping the driver to maintain control of the vehicle in a variety of situations. Bendix noted that its safety technologies complement safe driving practices and are not intended to enable or encourage aggressive driving. No commercial vehicle safety technology replaces a skilled, alert driver exercising safe driving techniques and proactive, comprehensive driver training. Responsibility for the safe operation of the vehicle remains with the driver at all times. For more information, visit www.kenworth.com.
The Bendix stability system for the Kenworth C500 comes with the Bendix 6S/6M configuration, which has six sensors and six modulators, and includes Bendix Smart ATC Automatic Traction Control and Bendix ESP.
NTEA Urges Excise Tax Repeal On Heavy Trucks, Trailers NTEA commends U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) for introducing S. 2435, the Modern, Clean, and Safe Trucks Act of 2021. This bipartisan bill would repeal the 12 percent federal excise tax (FET) on heavy trucks and trailers. NTEA calls on Congress to repeal the FET as a part of any upcoming infrastructure legislation. Eliminating the FET would provide Congress the opportunity to create longterm stability in the Highway Trust Fund by replacing the FET with a funding source not based on annual truck sales. “NTEA is a longstanding advocate of repealing the more than 100-year-old burdensome and complex tax, and is a founding member of the Modernize the Truck Fleet coalition,” said Steve Carey, NTEA’s president and CEO. “We believe repeal will help fleets to replace older and less fuel-efficient heavy-duty trucks with safer and more environmentally friendly new trucks.” Repealing the FET would allow purchasers to more readily integrate cleaner and safer vehicles into their
fleet and will help protect U.S. jobs. Additionally, repeal would clear the way to better alternative funding mechanisms for highway repair and maintenance. Senator Young stated, “Our bipartisan bill will open the floodgates to investment in safer and cleaner trucks and trailers that will benefit our economy and the environment.” The FET, originally created in 1917 to help pay for World War I, is the highest percentage excise tax levied by the federal government. Adding the tax on top of the costs associated with the latest emissions technology for heavy-duty trucks forces many small businesses to delay purchasing a new vehicle.