Sergeant Bob
Member
"Wattenburg Truck Stopping Device"
The CHP, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other members of the Governor's Task Force on Safe Delivery of Fuels, is testing the TSD. The TSD is a simple air-hose cutting device that can be mounted on the back of a tank trailer. It is connected to the air lines of a truck or trailer in such a way that any attempt to clamp or block the air line to the TSD will cause the spring brakes to lock the wheels at all times. A stolen tanker truck can be stopped simply by law enforcement activating the TSD with the patrol car's push bumper.
How It Works
A truck, tractor, or tractor-trailer vehicle combination in motion may be stopped safely with the application of firm pressure applied to a spring-loaded, metal push plate that is attached to the rear bumper of the pursued vehicle. The system may be operated remotely, also, by the transmission of a radio signal.
In practice, a pursuing police vehicle approaches the target truck from the rear, then “taps†the truck’s stopping device plate with its front bumper. The force of the pursuit vehicle’s impact triggers a mechanism on board the truck that releases the truck’s internal air brake pressure. The truck’s mechanical emergency brakes - that work independently of the air brake system - activate automatically, causing the truck to stop. The truck driver cannot override the mechanical brakes and cannot drive farther.
Most large commercial trucks are equipped with air brakes that are activated by a compressor driven by the truck’s engine. Air brake pressure is acquired after the engine is started. A certain, minimum amount of pressure, usually around 60 psi, is necessary for the air brakes to operate. If air brake pressure is released for any reason and drops below the minimum required pressure, the mechanical brakes are activated and cause the truck to stop. The mechanical braking system is used also as a parking brake that can be inactivated only when air brake pressure is sufficient.
The air brake system on most commercial trucks is installed under the vehicle frame, where it is protected from superficial collision damage. However, air line connectors, called “glad hands,†are usually attached to and extend from the rear bumper of each tractor and trailer. The “glad hands†enable drivers to connect trailer air brakes in-line with their tractors.
The truck stopping device is an extension of the air line connectors and deliver pressurized air through a shunt line attached to a pressure plate. When sufficient force is applied to the plate, the truck’s air brake pressure is exhausted, causing the emergency mechanical braking system to operate.
A valve that opens the shunt line by remote radio control is currently being evaluated, as is a system that would require the push plate to “tapped†twice by the pursuing police vehicle. The latter may reduce the possibility that a minor, rear end collision between a passenger vehicle and a truck could activate the braking system.
The device is designed so that truck drivers can repair or reset the equipment to normal operating position in the field in the event it is activated accidentally. However, the system cannot be reset from within a truck’s cab. The operator would be required to leave the cab and walk to the rear of the truck to effect repairs.
The device is vandal-proof. An anti-disabling feature is incorporated into the system that activates the truck’s mechanical emergency brakes if an effort is made to disable or bypass the device.
Versions of the truck stopping device now being tested cost approximately $200, including installation.
CHP Wattenburg Truck Stopping Device
I wonder if they've really thought this through? Does anyone else see this idea as kinda silly?
The CHP, in cooperation with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other members of the Governor's Task Force on Safe Delivery of Fuels, is testing the TSD. The TSD is a simple air-hose cutting device that can be mounted on the back of a tank trailer. It is connected to the air lines of a truck or trailer in such a way that any attempt to clamp or block the air line to the TSD will cause the spring brakes to lock the wheels at all times. A stolen tanker truck can be stopped simply by law enforcement activating the TSD with the patrol car's push bumper.
How It Works
A truck, tractor, or tractor-trailer vehicle combination in motion may be stopped safely with the application of firm pressure applied to a spring-loaded, metal push plate that is attached to the rear bumper of the pursued vehicle. The system may be operated remotely, also, by the transmission of a radio signal.
In practice, a pursuing police vehicle approaches the target truck from the rear, then “taps†the truck’s stopping device plate with its front bumper. The force of the pursuit vehicle’s impact triggers a mechanism on board the truck that releases the truck’s internal air brake pressure. The truck’s mechanical emergency brakes - that work independently of the air brake system - activate automatically, causing the truck to stop. The truck driver cannot override the mechanical brakes and cannot drive farther.
Most large commercial trucks are equipped with air brakes that are activated by a compressor driven by the truck’s engine. Air brake pressure is acquired after the engine is started. A certain, minimum amount of pressure, usually around 60 psi, is necessary for the air brakes to operate. If air brake pressure is released for any reason and drops below the minimum required pressure, the mechanical brakes are activated and cause the truck to stop. The mechanical braking system is used also as a parking brake that can be inactivated only when air brake pressure is sufficient.
The air brake system on most commercial trucks is installed under the vehicle frame, where it is protected from superficial collision damage. However, air line connectors, called “glad hands,†are usually attached to and extend from the rear bumper of each tractor and trailer. The “glad hands†enable drivers to connect trailer air brakes in-line with their tractors.
The truck stopping device is an extension of the air line connectors and deliver pressurized air through a shunt line attached to a pressure plate. When sufficient force is applied to the plate, the truck’s air brake pressure is exhausted, causing the emergency mechanical braking system to operate.
A valve that opens the shunt line by remote radio control is currently being evaluated, as is a system that would require the push plate to “tapped†twice by the pursuing police vehicle. The latter may reduce the possibility that a minor, rear end collision between a passenger vehicle and a truck could activate the braking system.
The device is designed so that truck drivers can repair or reset the equipment to normal operating position in the field in the event it is activated accidentally. However, the system cannot be reset from within a truck’s cab. The operator would be required to leave the cab and walk to the rear of the truck to effect repairs.
The device is vandal-proof. An anti-disabling feature is incorporated into the system that activates the truck’s mechanical emergency brakes if an effort is made to disable or bypass the device.
Versions of the truck stopping device now being tested cost approximately $200, including installation.
CHP Wattenburg Truck Stopping Device
I wonder if they've really thought this through? Does anyone else see this idea as kinda silly?
idea.
)
