A coalition of business and public sector leaders is intent on improving fleet safety and saving lives through a new design challenge initiative.
The Truck of the Future project will focus on driver visibility, according to the Together for Safer Roads (TSR) coalition, which includes Anheuser Busch InBev, PepsiCo and Republic Services, who say they’re leading the work as part of their commitment to the Stockholm Declaration, and reaffirmation of the United Nations’ Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The announcement was made Nov. 16 in honor of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
Partners and advisors include UPS, the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services, which oversees the city's fleet, and experts from leading truck safety research agencies.
The Truck of the Future project will identify and test innovative and cost-effective solutions to eliminate collisions between large vehicle operators and other road users, who are the most vulnerable. Based on an ideation session convened by TSR, safety experts from some of the world’s largest fleets identified driver visibility as a high priority. “There are many interventions that can address driver visibility issues—improved cab designs, collision avoidance systems and better infrastructure to name a few,” said Cormac Gilligan, vice president of global environmental, health and safety at PepsiCo. “PepsiCo is pleased to be a part of a collective solution.”
Added TSR president David Braunstein: “This project is our call to arms regarding an underappreciated aspect of road safety. After all, drivers cannot react to what they cannot see or sense. We must make meaningful progress towards the 2030 agenda, and bringing together these influential partners is part of our unique contribution.”
TSR and its collaborators seek to partner with innovative startups with a focus on commercially viable emerging technology solutions scalable in-market.
“At AB InBev, we believe that multi-stakeholder approaches are key to tackling road safety effectively,” said Joshua Girard, global director of safety at AB InBev. “The inclusion of our technology incubator in this unique initiative allows us to solve big business challenges with innovation and creativity, all while contributing to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and fostering safe communities globally.”
As part of the project, an innovative solution provider will be selected during a virtual, international pitch day on Dec. 2, organizers said. The chosen solution will be piloted in the U.S. and an international market in 2021.
Ultimately, TSR and its partners say their vision is to create “scalable and lasting change.”
