Hino buses and trucks shares the roads with other road users. These includes pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, cars as well as other buses, trucks and heavy vehicles which also use the road. Because of this, Hino is serious about road safety especially when their vehicles interact with people on a daily basis at all times. As one of the oldest motor vehicle manufacturer in Japan, and also part of the Toyota Group, Hino is committed to excellence.
The company continually strives to achieve progress by having harmonious relationships within the company as well as with their customers. It also means a positive relationship with the whole system and people in the surroundings. This includes a strong commitment by Hino on all aspects of road safety.
Road Safety as a means of prevention to road accidents is necessary. If a road accident occurs, lives may be lost or at the very least, some bodily injury. This may require medical treatment or emotional trauma for the person who is affected by the accident – whether it is the people or the families of those involved. There might even be property damage in a road accident.
There could be damage to the vehicles involved, to the surrounding road infrastructure and in the case of commercial vehicles, the loss of precious cargo. All of these losses cannot be quantified just by Ringgit and Sen but also time and emotional loss.
In light of the above, here are three ways on how Hino promotes road safety in Malaysia.
1. SAFER VEHICLES – UN Regulations Compliant for all brand new Hino vehicles sold in Malaysia
Hino Trucks Have Front Under-Run Prevention (FUP) Guard
Hino is aware of this and has been developing their vehicles to be as safe as possible. Hino is the first Japanese Commercial Vehicle manufacturer in Malaysia to have whole line up of vehicles compliant to UNECE regulations as required by the Malaysia Road Transport Department (JPJ). This is in line with Malaysia’s aim to have all commercial and transport vehicles are compliant to the standards set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) for stricter type approval for vehicles.
As Hino vehicles sold in Malaysia comply with the UNECE regulations, one can be assured that Hino Buses and Trucks are built to be dependable, safe and secure to a high standard.
Any authorised Hino 300, 500 & 700 series trucks sold by Hino Motor Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd will have safety equipment such as 3 point Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) seatbelts, Anti-Lock Braking Systems (ABS), an Energy Absorbing, Collapsible Steering Wheel and Column to protect the driver during frontal impact and side door beams to protect the driver from side impacts. These are fitted to the Hino designed Emergency Guard Impact Safety (EGIS) truck cabin. The Hino trucks are also equipped with a Euro 3 diesel engine for better emission control.
For the Hino Buses, they are equipped with Anti-lock braking system (ABS) and Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD) for better and more consistent braking power. For added control, Hino buses can also be equipped with an electronic brake retarder system as an option. There is also an Energy Absorbing Collapsible Steering Wheel and Column which will help protect the driver in the event of a frontal accident.
Aside from the above, Hino buses are equipped with tubeless tyres which help avoid sudden air loss in the case of a puncture and are also equipped with Euro 3 engine with a speed limiter for better emissions control and passenger safety.
HINO ArmTech vehicle tracking and monitoring system
Hino also offers HINO ArmTech, a vehicle tracking and monitoring system that allows customers and operators of Hino trucks to monitor their vehicles in near real time (with the web based system). This connected system allows operators and customers to monitor their vehicle’s movement and also vehicle status so that they can keep track of everything from the security of their vehicle to monitoring fuel consumption as well as wear and tear of the vehicle.
Operators can also gauge fuel consumption, tyre wear and other aspects through the speed monitoring function of the system. This allows them to plan their routes better and also ensure their drivers drive optimally. It also enables some added security for operators as the system can also track a vehicle in the event a vehicle has been hijacked or stolen so that the truck and its valuable cargo will have a chance to be recovered. This anti-theft feature makes ArmTech equipped Hino Trucks and vehicles a unique proposition for their operators.
With ArmTech, Hino vehicles now have a comprehensive vehicle management solution and anti-theft system for transport operators here in Malaysia. Hino is one of the few truck brands that offer such a comprehensive monitoring system for their vehicles.
By having safe and well equipped vehicles, Hino assists in limiting the chances of an accident and also other road incidents occurring from poorly designed and under-equipped vehicles.
2. BETTER TRAINING FOR TRUCK & BUS DRIVERS
The Hino Total Support Customer Centre (HTSCC)
Safer vehicles are only part of the total package when it comes to road safety. The other factor that would make a big difference is the drivers of the vehicles themselves. Hino is committed to improve the level of professionalism and skill of those driving commercial vehicles here in Malaysia and globally.
The Hino Total Support Customer Center (HTSCC) in Sendayan, Negeri Sembilan was built to provide additional service to assist their customers and drivers to improve their driving skills. Driving skills are as important as having a safe truck as the person behind the wheel is the one in control of a vehicle.
HTSCC is the first Hino Motor training centre outside of Japan that has been built following Hino’s international specifications and has the capacity to train up to 2,000 people annually. It is also built in order to assist its customers who need to comply with the Malaysian government Safety, Health and Environment Code of Practice (SHE COP). The training grounds can be used for the training of all types of commercial vehicle drivers. Training such as ethical and defensivedriving skills can help to reduce the number of accidents, complaints and summonses and ultimately to save precious lives and business costs.
Mr. Ken Iwamoto, Managing Director, Hino Motor Sales (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd said, “The facility reaffirms our commitment to continue our investment in Malaysia as we intend to make this facility as the catalyst for our local customers and those in the region. It will be a showcase of a tried and tested way to save lives, reduce accidents and business costs.”
“When road accidents happen, apart from the tragic loss of lives, not many people are aware of the cost to businesses. These costs can be in the form of repairing the said vehicle, the insurance paid out to the affected families, to the business flow and most importantly the reputation cost to the said company or brand and the country in general.” He added.
The HTSCC is equipped with road simulating obstacles for endurance and technical skill tests. These road surfaces include a sloped road to simulate ascending and descending drive, a banked road for medium speed cornering manoeuvres, a professional driving track, a wet handling and panic brake facility as well as an 830 meter driving track.
HTSCC currently provides free training courses to drivers of HINO’s vehicle owners from time to time. The training programme includes Safety & Eco-Driving Techniques, Driver Familiarisation and Driver Safety Training, with Driver Trainer Training, Driving &Human Reaction Training, Night Driving Training and Drivers Aptitude Test/Training to be included in the near future.
Hino will eventually make such training programmes available to the public, especially to those who wants to be a professionally certified truck driver. Hino feels that when there are more professional truck drivers in the workforce, such supply will spur companies, organisations and government agencies to put in place a mechanism and a requirement to hire only professional truck drivers certified by HTSCC. This will not only level up the skill set required but also gearing up the entire transportation ecosystem into a new level of professionalism and increase road safety awareness. This will also in turn, make the trucking profession, into a truly worthwhile profession.
Hino is well aware of the need for skilled drivers to lessen the rate of an accident occurring due to human errors.
3. GOOD AFTERSALES – GOING BEYOND THE NORM TO ENSURE CUSTOMERS HAVE WELL MAINTAINED TRUCKS AND BUSES ON THE ROAD
Finally, Hino looks after the safety of all road users by ensuring that their vehicles are properly maintained throughout Malaysia. If a vehicle is improperly maintained then it would mean that transport vehicles will be less roadworthy than before and unsafe to be on the road.
Having replacement brake pads or brake pistons from unreliable sources may have a negative effect on the bus or truck which uses it. In an emergency, the difference between a quality brake pad and one that is off dubious quality may actually mean a longer braking distance. In a situation where a vehicle needs to stop immediately, this is crucial.
Hino is committed and aims to deliver Quality, Durability and Reliability (QDR) philosophy to all of its customers. With QDR and Hino Total Support in mind, Hino customers will have peace of mind with their reliable vehicles and quality spare parts. With quality and reliable parts Hino buses and trucks are equipped to handle all road conditions here in Malaysia and throughout the world. Hino believes in giving the best aftersales that they would like to think go above and beyond the industry standards in terms of having a comprehensive service network as well as we trained personnel to cater for customer demands.
Here in Malaysia, the comprehensive service network covers all corners of Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. These includes 3S (Sales, Service Spares) centres, Sales, Centres, Service & Spares Centres and also parts stockists which will ensure Hino vehicles have all the required attention, maintenance, repairs they need to ensure better uptime and are safe for the roads.
With the nationwide network of sales and service centres, the Hino Armtech vehicle management system for vehicle monitoring, a competitive warranty for Hino vehicles up to 24 months and 24 hour breakdown services, Hino ensure a comprehensive package that is actually more than just about transportation. Hino also gives its customers peace of mind especially on vehicle safety and road safety.
These centres are also manned by trained personnel who are trained according to Hino’s global standards. The personnel in both sales and aftersales have undergone training which includes a thorough knowledge on all Hino products. In fact, training is so important in Hino’s culture that they organise an annual Hino Total Support competition where dealers throughout Malaysia send their best staff to compete in this competition to determine which Hino personnel has the best product knowledge, customer service and troubleshooting skills. The best Hino personnel are rewarded and receive recognition among their peers, driving them to giving their best at all times.
So with a comprehensive aftersales dealer network and a competent team of personnel, Hino believes in ensuring the roadworthiness of Hino vehicles which would again limit chances of vehicle malfunction as the cause of road accidents.
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