WILSON FREIGHT COMPANY DKS 5/17/77 QUANTITIES OF ACCIDENTS PER MONTH 1975-1976-1977 INTERCITY HIGHWAY TRACTORS-CONVENTIONAL CAB, THREE AXLES: 1973 Whites Model RBS62T08 without FMVSS121 Brakes 1976 Fords Model LNT9000 with FMVSS121 Brakes Based on 10,000 miles per month vehicle operation: Approximately twice as many total accidents with FMVSS121 Brakes *Denotes quantities of Whites and Forda in operation during each month for the years shown. Senator EAGLETON. Mr. Strout, thank you very much. Mr. Markland, I understand you are with Consolidated Freightways? TESTIMONY OF R. DONALD MARKLAND, VICE PRESIDENT, MAINTENANCE, CONSOLIDATED FREIGHTWAYS, MENLO PARK, CALIF. Mr. MARKLAND. Yes. Senator EAGLETON. I understand your company is one of the biggest in the country. Mr. MARKLAND. Yes, we are very proud to say that. I will try to summarize what my testimony indicates. Without objection, your written statement in its entirety will be inserted in the record at the conclusion of your testimony. Mr. MARKLAND. I can only speak for Consolidated Freightways. We recognize that from an industry standpoint, brakes were really not that good back in the mid-1960's, so in our case in 1966 we decided to do something about it. What we tried to do was first off to balance the brakes because we knew we had different temperatures. We run 44 States, so obviously we were concerned about the Sierras and what have you. After doing all the testing that we possibly could, we found we were as good as anyone else. We knew we could be beter. To that end, we started. We had a program and had everything very streamlined in this brake system. Essentially we put the valves and the hoses of a certain size as close to the brake actuators as possible, so we could have very swift brakes. As a matter of fact, in 1967, within 1 year, we ran our own tests. They indicated that we stopped under 293 feet at that time. As time progressed, we wanted to preserve, because we could see 121 and we could understand that. So, we wanted to be certain in my company that it did not deteriorate any part of the pneumatics. So, we started working with the manufacturer, and in this particular case we started out with Rockwell. Rockwell was very cooperative and had very fast timing and understood our needs. To that end, they made castings to our requirements and did all those things we had done during the mid-1960's. I think I can put it this way. The 1966 brakes on Consolidated Freightway System is the same as the 1976, or right now. The physical brakes-I am not talking about the computers, obviously-are the same. The valving has changed. So, no, we would not have a lot of problems with drivers unless we were locked up or there would be a malfunction. So, we started in 1975 receiving 250 semitrailers. They had the brakes I talked about. This was without any problem. As time progressed, we decided we would take a look and we wanted to know if the computers worked. To that end we took a test and found out that half the brakes electronically were not working. This was rather surprising. In 1976 we once again took our key terminal locations and checked everything for several days that would come through the inspection lanes. We stopped and physically checked to see if the electronics were working. Fifty percent, generally speaking, did not operate. I might add that we also had several recall programs in the meantime. There were different sensors and different fuse packs and different pneumatic valve configurations. So, we had spent a great deal of time just trying to keep everything electronically working, even though pneumatically everything worked perfectly. As we all know, Rockwell said they were going to go out of business, and they did. All of a sudden we stood there and we needed the pneumatics again. No one could cast for us at that late date what we required. They could not be expected to. So, we went to a different system. I think just to summarize, our results have not been that bad pneumatically but electronically they have been very serious. I would like to point that out by saying this. It is not unusual for my phone to ring to have one of our mechanical people tell me that they just stepped on the brakes and the truck went through the intersection. It was lucky they did not hit anybody. Obviously we stopped the vehicle at once and we checked it over and, yes, we do try to maintain the 121 systems. We have been trained. There are 904 or 905 people mechanically in my company. We have tried to do everything in our power to see that they understand how to trouble shoot and diagnose. That does not mean that vehicles will not break down, so when it does have a failure in between, we generally remove the fuse and try to get it in where we can trouble shoot it. That is a common everyday occurrence. It is happening a lot. If I could look out over the States in which we are operating, we probably pull a dozen fuses a day and put it back in after we find out nothing is wrong with them tomorrow. So, it is a very complicated thing to have. I sort of think this. I have no fault with the pneumatics. I think it is fine. I think anybody, as far as compatability goes, everybody just like we saw it coming. I do not think anybody should consider removing a big portion pneumatically of the system. I think it is good. I think everybody should have brakes like that. But I think this. Anytime that a driver can step on a brake and have brakes release as opposed to being applied, then you have to question ourselves and say: "Did we design this backwards or do we need it at all?" We are a pretty safety-conscious company. It bothers me. It really does, because I know for a fact today that we have as good brakes as anybody else under the 121, but they are not as good as we had. Our drivers know this, too. Our drivers have indicated many problems with the brakes, I would say, within the last year. We have a new system. We have wedge brakes because of the speed and the leading edge shoes and so on. One of the reasons we bought those others is so we would not have to adjust them. They normally work. But I tell you that our mechanics are out there and our drivers are just getting frightened, apparently, because we are out there adjusting the easy shoe to get to the bottom of the two shoes. I can go underneath our trailer today and I can see the bottom shoe where the boot has been broken and our mechanics have been in there. trying to pacify the driver because we pride ourselves on good brakes. It is a bother to do so. So, my recommendation is that. Mr. Chairman, I would hope that someone would really take a look at this and say that the brakes are fine, but let us regroup on the electronics because it is as if it is a few years ago when we had so many speedometer failures and everybody said that you have to fix the speedometer. Wherever we have taken our readings from, it is that way. One day we say we are not going to live it any longer and we are going to take our speedometer readings off the transmission and get it off that axle and out of that wheel. I can truthfully say that I do not ever get a call on speedometers anymore because they all work. Here we are trying to put a speedometer type cable on all of our wheels. That is the extent of my comments. Senator EAGLETON. Thank you very much. In your testimony you said something about that they do not operate 50 percent of the time. What do you mean by that? Mr. MARKLAND. The brakes were operating. We can go down and put the test unit on. It will generally show that one or both fuses have blown or one of the fuses was defective. I do not mean the brakes did not operate. I mean the computer did not operate. Senator EAGLETON. You heard me talk about the gap problem with Mr. Strout. Is that the crux of the problem? Is there a time interval between the time the computer fails and blows the fuse, and the oldfashioned brakes take over? Mr. MARKLAND. We are talking about two things. No. 1, on the Rockwell system. if the computer or if the translucer was some distance away, they had a tendency to blow fuses. That is one problem all by itself. I have not seen any 40 second or any delays. I have seen the total lack of application of brakes. I do not think I have a watch that could wind long enough to time it because they do not stop. These are the ones that really concern us. The electronic release of brakes are the problem. That is the crux. Senator EAGLETON. Have you replaced all of your Rockwell equipment with equipment from another manufacturer? Mr. MARKLAND. No, we are trying to service and maintain all of our Rockwell equipment. We have the tools and the knowledge to do that. Also, we have the same thing with the newer system, which is the Wagner system. I might also add that we also have the Kelcey system, which is standard on International Harvesters and other users. Senator EAGLETON. How long does it take you to train a mechanic on a reputable computer system? Mr. MARKLAND. What we try to do is this. Manufacturers have been very helpful on this. We generally buy all of the equipment and we hold 24-hour a day sessions to try to cover it and cover it again. Then, hopefully our foremen on the job help. I have not seen any problem from a training standpoint. I might add this. We knew we were going to have a hard time geting brakes across to our drivers and to our mechanics. It is pretty hard to give them a passout or something, when they receive their paychecks, so it caused us to start a maintenance department, as it were, news paper, which we make strictly just to send to the homes of all of our drivers and all of our mechanics. It is an informative little paper that says: "This is what you can expect, drivers and mechanics. This is why we are doing this." We spend a great deal of time on that. The purpose of the paper was to deal with the brake problem. We have not had that many issuesmaybe one every 9 months, but in every issue there has always been something on the brakes. Senator EAGLETON. Have any of you gentlemen had experience with the problem where the electronic component can pick up a stray signal and therefore malfunction? Is that a problem that has faced any of your companies? Mr. STROUT. I cannot prove it. We have had drivers say that has happened, but they cannot prove it either. Supposedly someone else with a CB set keys in the mike when they try to use the brakes. It is difficult to prove, that is, as to whether that happens or not. Senator EAGLETON. Mr. Markland, have you expressed your problems and concerns, as you have expressed them here today, to NHTSA or BMCS or NTSB? Mr. MARKLAND. It has been NHTSA. I have talked with Howard Dugoff, of course, and John Snow. Last year I think it was, I talked with them. And George Reagle. I have conveyed this. Senator EAGLETON. Have you talked with any of the NHTSA people since March when there was a new administrator? Mr. MARKLAND. Yes, I have. Senator EAGLETON. Will all of your companies make available all of your records and your maintenance shop records to either NHSTA, BMCS, and NTSB if they wanted to see your worksheets and your data and your maintenance shops? Would you make that available? Mr. MARKLAND. They can have anything their heart desires. [The prepared statement of Mr. Markland follows:] |