Haldex urges Soft Docking to avoid damage
Soft Docking from Haldex is designed to help reduce vehicle and dock damage when reversing to a loading bay. It helps prevent damage and ensures automatic activation of brakes when distance to the ramp is critical.
Soft Docking starts to warn the driver of the ramp’s proximity three metres from the docking point. When the rear of the vehicle is less than one metre from the ramp, the system applies the brakes automatically in proportion to the speed of the vehicle and the weight of the load until the vehicle comes to a standstill.
Trailer brakes remain applied for half a second before Soft Docking releases them, giving the driver free reign for final docking at the ramp. Soft Docking always keeps the driver in the picture at the critical moment.
The more often a truck approaches an unloading ramp, the greater the risk of damage to its rear. Statistics show that about 35 percent of all incidents that involve damage occur when reversing a truck. This is especially irksome for refrigerated vehicles whose van body is neither easy nor quick to repair, and the expense of which is most definitely not cheap. If the doors or frames are affected, the total cost of damage including vehicle loss can quickly reach a euro amount in the five figure range.
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Soft Docking consists of two ADR ultrasound sensors mounted on the rear of the vehicle, two marker lights that utilise robust LED technology and an audio warning speaker. The system functions as a stand-alone solution and, therefore, does not require a connection to the truck unit. EB+, however, is necessary.
The software can be activated by a vehicle manufacturer during configuration of a new vehicle; or it can be deployed retroactively on vehicles that are already in service. Customers for whom automatic braking at a distance of one metre is sufficient can order, at an especially attractive price, a modified version of Soft Docking that dispenses with visual and audio warnings.
For night-time deliveries in residential areas, Soft Docking can easily be switched to mute: just engage reverse twice in quick succession and the audio warning will immediately go silent.
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