Volvo triples size of customer experience track

Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Aug. 28, 2023:

The enhanced track includes grade changes with a 6-7% increase at its steepest points with tighter S-curves to pilot the Volvo Dynamic Steering system and maneuverability through three miles of highway track with a one-mile straightaway where drivers can accelerate to highway speed levels.Volvo TrucksThe Volvo Trucks Customer Center has completed significant structural upgrades to the facility’s customer experience track in Dublin, Virginia, tripling the size of the three-mile custom-designed course, including two super-elevations demonstrating radius and grade change, as well as extending the track to include a one-mile straightaway, offering customers a fully immersive driving experience, the company said.

Safety features of the Volvo Dynamic Steering (VDS) system available on virtually all Volvo Truck models can be demonstrated to understand how VDS handles high speed, incline acceleration, descent braking, and curve steering mobility. Visitors are paired with certified CDL operators to guide them through every turn of the expanded track. 

The enhanced track includes grade changes with a 6-7% increase at its steepest points with tighter S-curves to pilot the VDS system and maneuverability through three miles of highway track with a one-mile straightaway where drivers can accelerate to highway speed levels. The track also features an eight-inch concrete curb drop build-out used to simulate certain hazards drivers might experience on real-world routes, enabling customers to experience how the VDS system takes effect.

The VDS system is a safety feature available in most Volvo Truck models that improves stability at all road speeds when encountering crosswinds, highway crowning, soft shoulders, or emergency situations like tire failure. With an ultra-responsive electric motor mounted on top of the hydraulic steering gear, VDS monitors road inputs at 2,000 times per second. This enhanced steering assist helps drivers keep trucks on course, maneuver through tight turns, and more easily back to docks. 

Vocational vehicles, including the VHD 300 dump truck, can be maneuvered on a gravel off-road section of the course designed for customers to experience the VDS system in action for applications that require an extremely tight turning radius. The vehicles are tested on a designated three-quarter mile-section with two steep 27% grades to experience Rock Free, an extreme I-Shift mobility function that lets the driver rock the truck back and forth to by pumping the accelerator if the truck gets stuck in mud or sand. 

Following an Aug. 24 press release from various safety groups, including the Trucking Alliance, voicing opposition to Congressional efforts that would block a mandate of speed limiters on trucks, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association is firing back.