Truck handle prototype addresses slip-and-fall accidents
Everything in a truck, from the engine to floor mats, is there for a calculated reason. A lot of drivers may take these features for granted. A prototype addressing slips and falls while entering and exiting a truck recently built by engineering students at Oregon State University highlights the hard work that goes into making every little aspect of a truck.
It all started with a minor complaint from one fleet owner. Hugh Ekberg, CEO of Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based CRST International, was having a problem with driver slip-and-fall accidents while entering and exiting the trucks. Rather than just accept the misfortune, Ekberg contacted the manufacturer of the trucks, Daimler Trucks North America, to see if it could help with the issue.
Oregon State’s Prototype Development Laboratory
DTNA’s internal engineering team had bigger fish to fry, but Daimler did mention OSU’s Prototype Development Laboratory at the College of Engineering run by John Parmigiani, who has a doctorate in mechanical engineering.
According to Kary Schafer, general manager of product marketing and strategy at Daimler Trucks, the company has a strong relationship with many universities across the country. In addition to sponsoring engineering projects, Daimler Trucks partners with several schools on internship programs that potentially can bring new talent to the company.
After being briefed about the situation, Parmigiani found the problem to be a good fit for his lab.
That is essentially what the prototype lab does: solve engineering problems. Parmigiani and his team work with everyone from large companies seeking solutions to entrepreneurs with an idea for a new product. Their portfolio ranges from creating a continuous powder heat-treating apparatus for a metals company to designing a therapeutic device to assist the treatment of emotional distress.
For this particular issue, dealing with truck slips and falls, engineering students had to first understand the problem. Led by graduate student Arthur Wells, the team went out and asked truckers questions relevant to the problem.
A behavior problem
Wells and his team found that many drivers are not doing their due diligence when entering and exiting their truck.
“An interesting thing that came out of that (survey) was that a significant number of drivers surveyed, about a third of them, just openly admitted that they frequently don’t follow proper procedure when entering and exiting the cab,” Parmigiani said. “That was a very revealing finding, to say that there was a behavior problem here.”
Parmigiani explained that this is not necessarily the fault of the drivers.
“In my experience, when one finds the procedures are not being followed, it’s because something is lacking,” Parmigiani said. “Provided tools are awkward to use, or inconvenient, or something is not as it should be if people are choosing not to follow the proper procedure.”
With that in mind, the design goal was to put something in place that would be natural, easy and convenient to use. Students came up with several potential solutions.
One solution was a clip-in system. However, Wells, a Navy veteran, had similar experiences with harnesses often used when working above ground. Wells had told Parmigiani that compliance in wearing those harnesses was low due to the procedure being cumbersome and inconvenient. That’s why when a clip-in system was first brought up it was ultimately scrapped, because they knew drivers were not going to be burdened with that process.
Other options include a nonslip coating on steps and a heating element in the steps for ice buildup. In the end, the engineering team decided on the truck handle.
The truck handle
It’s a simple, yet effective, solution. The prototype lab devised a handle that can be retrofitted to the existing handle on Daimler trucks. The big difference is this handle appears directly in the trucker’s path to and from the seat, forcing compliance.
Parmigiani said the most important feature of the truck handle is the fact it compels a behavior change.
“If you’re going to get into the truck or you’re going to get out of the truck, then you’re going to have to interact with this thing,” Parmigiani said. “To interact with it in an improper way is oftentimes more effort than interacting with it in the proper way, because to get into the truck, you need to grab onto this handle.”
The team is currently in the process of manufacturing several of the handles to put into trucks for field tests. Test truckers will use them in their daily work and give feedback on the features they like and do not like.
Some buzz is already being generated. A fleet owner in Texas and another in Oregon have independently contacted Parmigiani after hearing about the handle. Both are interested in participating in field trials as well.
Will we see these in new trucks in the future?
“It seems like this has some real potential to be something that could go in a lot of trucks,” Parmigiani said. “I think that this is something that we could see nationwide just as a general feature in trucks.”
Schafer said Daimler Trucks has agreed to sponsor a second project to evaluate the manufacturability and the steps required to bring the prototype to the market.
“If successful, we would love to be able to offer this on our vehicles or to our customers,” Schafer said.
So if you see a new handle in your truck, you now know the hard work that went into the simple device. LL
Land Line Now Senior Correspondent Scott Thompson contributed to this report.