News

There is a front page article in Transport Topics under the headline "Faulty Bendix Valves Installed on Around 60,000 New Trucks". Because this involves so many trucks, many of them on the road now, it is important to bring this to your attention as an underwriting concern.

The valves appear to fail only under extreme temperature conditions of 0º Fahrenheit or lower. Fortunately we have experienced a mild winter, though some parts of the country where our insureds could operate can still experience very severe weather. In connection with this fact is the time it will take to retrofit units in the field.

The main truck makers affected by Bendix’s faulty brake valve are Navistar, which owns the Kenworth and Peterbilt brands, and Volvo. Daimler Trucks, owner of the Freightliner and Western Star brands, are not affected. Keep in mind too that, while the article doesn’t specifically mention model years, new trucks manufactured during the period when the faulty valves were made (12/2/2010 to 1/18/2012) would include 2011 and 2012 models. A total of 131,221 valves have been recalled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (There can be several valves on one truck.)

Please be aware of this if asked to quote new business or, endorse existing accounts, with Navistar or Volvo trucks in the 2011 and 2012 model years. Information about the following questions would be important to obtain:

• Have you received a recall notice on your truck or tractor? 
• Is the vehicle currently in service? 
• If yes, what has been done to correct the problem?

Here is a link to the press release by Bendix.

Bendix has also provided specific instructions to determine if the valves are part of the faulty batch. Not all ATR-6 valves are affected.

Please share this bulletin with everyone who may need to know.