Daimler Trucks North America Introduces First SAE Level 2 Automated Truck in North America

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Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) introduced the first SAE Level 2 automated truck in series production in North America with the latest enhancements to the Freightliner new Cascadia®. Level 2 automation means the truck is capable of both lateral (steering) and longitudinal (acceleration/deceleration) control and is part of the truck technologies featured by DTNA at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
According to NHTSA, ninety-four percent of crashes are attributable to human error. Automating acceleration, deceleration, and steering reduces the chance for human error, mitigates collisions and can potentially save lives. These technologies can also enhance the driver experience by making the truck-driving task easier, thereby improving driver comfort and well-being.
DTNA’s expertise in automation is backed by Daimler Trucks, which announced at CES an investment of over half a billion dollars and an addition of more than 200 new jobs in its global push to put highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) on the road within a decade. Most of these jobs will be located at the new Daimler Trucks Automated Truck Research & Development Center at DTNA’s headquarters in Portland, Ore.
The new Cascadia delivers SAE Level 2 driving capabilities with the Detroit Assurance® 5.0 suite of camera- and radar-based safety systems.
The system can accelerate, decelerate, and steer independently. The Detroit Assurance 5.0 Adaptive Cruise Control and Active Lane Assist features make automated driving possible in all speed ranges for the first time in a series production truck:

  • Adaptive Cruise Control to 0 mph.
  • Active Lane Assist.
  • Active Brake Assist 5.0.
  • Side Guard Assist.

Detroit™ Connect Analytics provides fleets with analysis and insights on the performance of the new Detroit Assurance 5.0 safety features. Fleets will be notified if drivers have their hands off the wheel for longer than 60 seconds.