Responding to yesterday’s post on the safety work being done at IMMI, Jim McNamara, PR honcho at Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA), pointed me to a lengthy (11 minute) clip titled “The Value of Safety” produced by the OEM that starts right off with a Class 8 barrier crash.

If that weren’t all, starting about eight minutes in, there are dramatic cab-impact, rollover and barrier-impact tests that make for quite a hard day’s work for some dedicated crash dummies. The remaining minutes cover other safety matters including Volvo’s electronic stability system, VEST, in action.

See it for yourself by visiting VTNA’s home page . Go to the “Hot Topics” menu (lower left of screen) and click on “Volvo safety video.”

And this holiday weekend–and every day– please remember to buckle up and drive safely.

When you’re a real dummy, no ever has to explain things to you like you’re a six year old. You just get it– just like the unbelted crash-test dummy I saw buy the farm one warm Indiana evening last month.

To back up a bit, I sure wasn’t going to miss the chance to witness a “Live Barrier Crash” as promised by the intriguing invitation from the Lifeguard Technologies Div. of IMMI that arrived on my desk a few weeks earlier.

I figured if they were going to crash a truck into a wall then there would have to be crash dummies on hand. OK, I’ll pause here to admit that ever since those anthropomorphic creatures began popping up on TV in car safety PSAs and even commercial spots some years back, my warped sense of humor has warmly embraced them. Hey, if it was up to me, the crash dummies and not the Geico cavemen would be getting their own sit-com this fall. I think it is the faces that remain expressionless even when faced with the jaws of death that make these characters so hilarious.

But all hilarity aside, let’s not forget crash dummies are key players in the worldwide design of advanced automotive safety systems that benefit all of us whenever we are on or near a road. For that, these dummies deserve our applause and get-well cards. And their makers deserve our full appreciation and respect.

Back to the cornfield, which is where IMMI has built its state-of-the-art crash facility about an hour directly north of Indy. IMMI said its Center for Advanced Product Evaluation (CAPE) in Westfield, IN, was opened in ‘99 to conduct crash tests, rollover tests and environmental tests. The firm said it houses the world’s only 90-degree rollover impact machine for commercial vehicles as well as the largest barrier facility of its kind for evaluating the crashworthiness of large commercial vehicles. At 1.9-million lbs, the barrier block is the largest in the world, IMMI noted. It also said CAPE can crash vehicles at up to 65mph as well as those weighing over 80,000 lbs.

The night I was there the plan was to crash an old GMC (or Chevy–memory fails me on that point) medium-duty straight truck, purchased used expressly for this demo, into the massive concrete barrier at 30 mph. At the wheel was a dummy protected by a LifeGuard Technologies lap-shoulder seat belt and 4Front driver’s air bag. His partner in crime, though, was merely seated in the passenger seat sans belt or any other protective measure beyond clothing.

On they came. The truck started its final journey outside the building on a long straight track (which is used to create head-ons; that must also be a sight!) that brought it inside, where the track continued beside grandstand seating and then into the Wall of Doom. Track is a misnomer– the truck actually rode on flat pavement and was hooked to an underground cable that provided the power (just like the cable cars in San Francisco) and was released just before the smash-up.

And a smash it was. Frankly, 30 mph looks a hell of a lot faster when you are watching vs. riding. All us witnesses had a view of the driver’s side and that dummy was one cool character. He did not flinch as he barrelled right into what could have been the door to the next world for a human driver or passenger who was not adequately protected.

Indeed, the dummy at the wheel remained in his seat while the passenger dummy violently struck the windshield before ending up crumpled over in the driver’s lap. Not a pretty sight.

That sight and much more was captured by a bank of high-speed “imagers” that IMMI said capture images at 1,000 frames per second, allowing engineers to study the motion of the truck, the motion of the test dummies and air bag interaction in great detail.

According to IMMI, head injury criteria and recorded chest g’s indicated the driver would have easily survived this crash– “the seatbelt retained him in his seat and the airbag inflated to protect his head from impact with the steering wheel.” Indeed, he looked fine and unmarked to me afte rthr crash. But the passenger, in my non-medical opinion, was a goner. It looked like his entire torso impacted the glass and IMMI said he “struck the windshield with such force that his head snapped back, and the back of his head contacted his upper back.” That can’t be good.

I should note the old GMC/Chevy straight job performed admirably. I am no engineer but I can report that my visual inspection revealed the engine and front end had absorbed the impact and the cab’s integrity had been preserved– except for what the happy-go-lucky (me wear a seatbelt?) passenger dummy did to the windshield.

IMMI pointed out there’s more than theatrics behind barrier crash testing: “Vehicle engineers want to know if the cab maintains its integrity and preserves survival space for the driver and passenger. They use test data to assess whether body sections and loads remain secure. Test results are also used to evaluate the integrity of the chassis, engine mounts, cab mounts and fuel systems. Crash testing is part of an extensive series of tests that can be conducted to identify each truck’s unique crash signature.”

On top of all that, it is one incredibly convincing way to show anyone that if they refuse to buckle up their seat belt, they are nothing less than a real dummy. And in my opinion, a real threat to themselves and others. Or as IMMI calmly put it: “A comparison of the test video and results from both occupants provides convincing reasons for drivers of heavy trucks to always wear their seatbelts. ”

More info on IMMI and CAPE can be found at lifeguardtechnologies.com.

This morning’s big news that DaimlerChrysler is shedding its worrisome American operation– the once and now again Chrysler Corp. — comes as no shock to anyone who follows automotive or financial news even glancingly.

From all accounts, the “merger of equals” as ballyhooed by the then DaimlerBenz was no such thing. Yes, the Chrysler name was appended to Daimler and Benz was dropped but the whole shebang– for good or ill– was run from Stuttgart, not jointly from there and Auburn Hills, home to Chrysler. Maybe had the big deal been more like a marriage than a takevover it would have succeeded. Maybe it never should have happened period. To be sure, those with minds brighter about business than mine will be weighing in on that for years to come.

But right now I’m pondering what will be the ultimate fate of the Dodge Sprinter and the Sterling Bullet. The Sprinter commercial van is engineered by Daimler in Germany and sold here badged either as a Dodge or a Freightliner through those brands’ respective dealer bodies. The Bullet is a variation of the Dodge Ram chassis-cab and is sold by Sterling dealers.

Since Freightliner LLC remains in the Daimler fold (it is not affected at all by the Chrysler sale) , presumably it will continue to offer the Sprinter. That makes sense as the Portland, OR-based OEM has made it clear it intends to be a commercial vehicle player up and down the GVW scale.

Dodge began offering the Sprinter after Freightliner and, I think, for at least three very good reasons. For one thing, the Sprinter is a distinctive “Euro-style” van that distinguishes Dodge from its GM/Chevy and Ford competitors in this arena. And, secondly, the Sprinter is so unique that it– again in my opinion– has had a “halo effect,” helping cast a positive light on Dodge’s commercial vehicle line just as it was rolling out new models (none of which are Sprinter-based). On top of that, the Sprinter was made available to Dodge dealers because there are far more of them than Freightliner dealers and many of them are already adept at selling lighter-duty commercial trucks.

Earlier this year Freightliner LLC rolled out the Bullet, developed in concert with its Chyrsler corporate sibling Dodge to help “round down” the Sterling line of medum- and heavy-duty trucks. I think this was also a smart– and creative– move, allowing Sterling to offer an exciting lighter-duty product while helping Dodge increase its economies of scale for Ram chassis-cab production.

Given the size and scope of the Chrysler sale to Cerberus Capital Management, I imagine nothing will happen too quickly to any Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge product including the Sprinter and the Bullet. And it’s highly likely in this era of automotive jont ventures and marketing deals of all sorts that Daimler will keep right on supplying the Sprinter to the new Chrysler and it in turn will want to keep receiving Bullets from Chrysler.

A Chrysler spokesperson responded quickly to my query on the Sprinter and the Bullet this morning with these emailed statements: “Dodge Sprinter operations remain unchanged. Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs and the Sterling Bullet will continue to share the same platform. We anticipate no change in the current relationship [with Sterling].”

Regarding my query on the Sterling Bullet, a Freightliner LLC spokesperson had just this to say: “The sale of the Chrysler Group will have no effect on Freightliner LLC operations.”

In any event, it’d certainly be a shame for fleets if either of these truck platforms wind up available at fewer dealers down the road.

By the way, there’s an excellent in-depth article on the Chrysler sell-off in The New York Times.

In closing, here’s hoping both Daimler and Chrysler are now headed down nothing but, shall we say, happy trails.

Who doesn’t at least weigh a bit more heavily those household appliances– we’re talking refrigerators and other energy hogs here– adorned with the catchy EnergyStar label before plunking hundreds or thousands down to buy a machine that will consume gobs of electricity right before your eyes for likely years to come?

Well, I do anyway, even if I am never quite sure how much that fancy label will save me! But I am not running a business let alone a fleet of trucks so ROI is not as important as just replacing the worn-out clunker that expired on the kitchen floor before the ice cream melts or the dirty dishes start stacking up.

I have a strong suspicion that the EnergyStar label has been a boon to applicance marketers who, let’s face it, don’t have a whole lot to distinguish their products with other than handsome price tags.

I don’t feel quite the same can be said about heavy-truck OEMS, whose products are still very much distinguished by how they are put together and how they “feel” on the road–helping to make both owners and operators often fiercely loyal to one brand or another.

Nevertheless these manufacturers aren’t about to overlook a new means to power up their marketing. That’s why it’s no surprise to me that the Environmental Protection Agency has begun certifying ‘07 truck and trailer models as fuel effcient under its SmartWay program.

EPA said that the initial crop of SmartWay trucks– which includes those made by Freightliner, International, Kenworth, Mack, Peterbilt, and Volvo– can cut fuel consumption by 10 to 20%. EPA claims it plans to set more ambitious performance targets for SmartWay-recognized tractor-trailer combinations and other vehicles, such as delivery vans, in the future.

Still, I doubt many fleet managers will end up buying their trucks the way the do their household appliances. On the other hand, there is a nifty advantage of the SmartWay truck certification. EPA says truckers who buy this new equipment and are members of the SmartWay program will be able “to proudly display a logo on their qualified big rigs.”

That means fleets will be able to get some marketing mileage out of this program– that SmartWay decal will help tell the world how fuel-efficient and thus environmentally friendly your trucking operation is.