Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/678459
38 commercial carrier journal | may 2016 technology Here's looking at you New tech to monitor driver distraction, fatigue BY AARON HUFF T elematics systems and video event recorders already can monitor inputs from vehicle sen- sors and controls to detect risky driving behaviors. Now a new set of technologies is able to directly monitor drivers them- selves. PGT Trucking, a 1,100-truck flatbed carrier, currently is testing such a technol- ogy from Maven Machines. About 25 drivers for the Monaca, Pa.-based com- pany have volunteered to use a high-qual- ity Bluetooth headset as their hands-free communications device paired with their smartphones. Drivers can make phone calls, listen to music or get voice com- mands from their navigation apps. The safety benefit is not limited to hands-free connectivity. Inside the headset are sensors that detect subtle head movements as drivers look side-to-side at mirrors, down at gauges or at objects inside and around their vehicles. The sen- sors and algorithms also can detect head bobs or a lack of movement as early signs of drowsiness or fatigue. The headset communicates with the Maven Co-Pilot app that gives drivers feedback on their safe driving. Scores indicate if they check their mirrors in a timely manner, follow the speed limit and more. The product soon will actively warn drivers and fleets of fatigued or distracted driving. As an option, drivers can use their own voice recording as an alert, says Avishai Geller, Maven founder and chief executive. Fleets use a web portal to assess driver risk and skill levels. To provide added context for the results, Maven Co-Pilot includes temperature, speed and loca- tion data in reports and on visual map displays. It also can include hard-braking and swerving events using data captured by phones and third-party telematics systems. Fleet managers can see if drivers are checking their mirrors properly in traffic or while going through an intersection, among many possibilities. Gregg Troian, president of PGT, says the fleet is evaluating how to use the information "to tell if drivers are develop- ing the kind of habits they need to drive effectively and without accidents." Drivers currently use the technology on a volun- tary basis, but Troian says it may become mandatory for those with a higher risk profile or for retraining purposes. Candid camera Cameras provide another approach for detecting driver fatigue and distraction. Seeing Machines' Guardian fa- tigue management system has a small dash-mounted camera and small infrared units, placed left and right of the camera, to enable it to work in the dark and when the driver is wearing sunglasses. The camera feeds data to an onboard unit with algo- rithms that detect certain movements, such as eyelids closing or a nodding head. Movements that cross a certain thresh- old trigger an alarm that consists of seat vibration and audible alerts such as low rumbles, beeps and a whistle. The Guardian system is being tested by six small and large U.S. fleets. It initially was launched in the mining industry, says Chris Sluss, vice president of business development. During the initial fleet tests, Seeing Machines monitored fatigue and dis- tracted driving events for a 30-day period without activating alerts to the driver or fleet to establish a baseline. The testing then continued for a 30-day period with the alerts active. The statistics from the six studies are showing that alerts, when activated, re- duce fatigue and distracted driving events by 30 to 90 percent, Sluss says. While some drivers may feel uncom- fortable with a camera pointed at their face, "it's not about Big Brother," he says. "We're not here to watch you. We are here to protect you." in focus: DRIVER PERFORMANCE MONITORING The Maven Co-Pilot driver app shows safe driving scores using data col- lected from the headset. The Guardian fatigue management system from Seeing Machines gives drivers instant alerts when it detects risk due to distracted or fatigued driving. Maven Co-Pilot uses a hands-free wireless headset to detect head motion.