U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. is continually adding sophisticated safety equipment to its trucks and is also cutting down on emissions, the locally-based trucking firm's Director of Technology and Training told the Chattanooga Engineers Club on Monday.

Marty Fletcher said technological innovations have provided trucks with numerous safety devices.

He said to assure the safety of other drivers, U.S. Xpress trucks are equipped with “smart cruise.” Smart cruise automatically keeps other drivers at a safe distance because it is able to detect vehicles in front of the truck, he said. When a truck driver comes too close to a car, it will alert the driver to slow down and automatically decelerate the engine when necessary, he said. Mr. Fletcher said, this system acts as a “behavioral device” by changing “drivers’ habits.”

Trucks are also equipped with a “roll stability module,” Mr. Fletcher said. He said this device was tested in the Arctic Circle on a sheet of ice. The tractor trailer was driven in a concentric circle. Then the driver made it “jack knife,” but the module “straightened it out” on "a solid sheet of ice you can’t even stand up on,” he said.

Mr. Fletcher said the “trailer tracking system” has improved and is not only important for “commercial benefit” but also for “general and homeland security.” He said the truck has a particular zone it is suppose to be in at given times, and the company receives notification if the trailer goes outside of the zone.

“Lane departure warning” devices have been added to alert drivers when they are leaving a lane, he said. He said this device is especially important if a driver falls asleep.

“The right hand video system” is one of the newest technological improvements and is not yet in all trucks, he said. The system works far better than the large side mirrors, he said because “there are zero blind spots on the right lane.” The video system allows drivers to view about 6 to 8 lanes.

Mr. Fletcher said he believes that U.S. Xpress is one of the safest trucking companies. He noted that several years ago there was a 125-vehicle wreck on
I-75 near Ringgold and a U.S. Xpress trailer was the fifth vehicle in the wreck. The video was reviewed and revealed that the driver easily moved to the right, off the highway and remained upright, while avoiding collision. Mr. Fletcher said this demonstrated that not only was the driver well-equipped, but the devices had instilled good driving habits so there was plenty of space in front of him to maneuver.

Engines are also being improved to meet emission requirements, he said. By 2007, “we will be putting out cleaner air in some parts of the country than we will be pulling in,” he said. One method of emission reduction will be through filters. Mr. Fletcher said he believes that it is important to keep emissions down, but it will be expensive.

U.S. Xpress is “the fifth largest publicly held truckload company,” he said. In 2004, the company had a “consolidated revenue of $1.1 billion, he said. Xpress employs 2,500 people in Chattanooga and 8,000 people total. He said the company is the “leader in safety and service.”

Mr. Fletcher noted the vital role the trucking industry has in the U.S. economy. “Almost every product in the U.S. is touched by a truck en route to a final destination,” he said.

One of the main problems the industry is facing is a lack of drivers, he said. Approximately “219,000 new drivers must be found to replace drivers 55 years or older retiring in the next 10 years,” he noted.