Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/580471
48 | Overdrive | October 2015 EQUIPMENT SPOTLIGHT SEATS Getting scientifi c W hile office workers can spend hours sitting down, they can get up, stretch and walk around. Those are not options for truck drivers. Add to that road vibration and shocks, and it's easy to see why seat technology can have a massive effect on safety and health. "Truck drivers experience lower back problems at a much higher level than almost any other occupation," says Jim Parison, chief design engineer with Bose Ride. "The way a human sits unfortunately allows shock and vibration to hit the lower back area particularly hard. We've talked to drivers who routinely spend their days off in bed trying to recover from back pain." Safety and comfort Spring-loaded and air-ride seat technology appeared about 30 years ago and was a huge advance over older seats. Today, newer approaches to seating are helping drivers stay more alert and productive. Just as important are the health aspects of new seat designs that help drivers feel better both when their shift ends and over longer periods of time. "We routinely see drivers with shoulder blade pain and serious blood flow issues in their legs," says Wayne Finchum, vice president of maintenance for Titan Transfer, a Nashville, Tenn.-based fleet. "Truck drivers miss twice as many days of work due to back problems than any other occupation." When a driver has a back problem, Finchum says, Titan works to find a seat that helps alleviate the pain. "Finding the right seat is critical because we know that good posture behind the wheel means everything to having a healthy back." Peterbilt worked with drivers to design its own highly flexible seat for its Model 579 tractor with several cutting-edge features, says Anthony Gansle, on-highway marketing manager. An entry/egress memory feature allows a driver to drop the seat to a lower level when exiting the cab. The push of a button automatically returns the seat to the preferred height once the driver climbs back behind the wheel. Gansle says a great deal of time also was spent making sure the seat offered the right range of motion, travel, back tilt and lumbar support. "We designed the seat controls with distinctive different shapes and grouped them logically according to functions," he says. "We wanted to be sure they could make seat setting changes easily without taking their eyes off the road." Different seats, different perks Awareness of health issues related to poor seating posture has been reflected in the most popular new options for seats, says Gordon Cooley, design engineer with the Commercial Vehicle Group, The Bose Ride System driver's seat is engineered to sense cab vibrations and neutralize them with high-speed adjustments to the seat's suspension. National Seating's Commodore seat features a 23-inch-wide cushion and is designed to conform to the driver with three zones of air adjustment. BY JACK ROBERTS AND DEAN SMALLWOOD