We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Global Logistics and Risk
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2022
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Daimler autonomous truck earns its driver's license
newsworthy

Daimler autonomous truck earns its driver's license

May 11, 2015
Ben Ames
No Comments

Engineers have been experimenting with autonomous vehicles for years, but last week Daimler Trucks North America LLC steered the challenge into the fast lane by unveiling the country's first licensed autonomous commercial truck.

Daimler's "Freightliner Inspiration Truck" is a self-steering 18-wheeler that earned its driver's license on May 5 from officials in Nevada. Introduced at a ceremony at the Hoover Dam, the truck took a joy ride down U.S. Highway 15 in Las Vegas, with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and Daimler board member Wolfgang Bernhard along for the ride.

If widely adopted, the technology could help reduce accidents, improve fuel consumption, cut highway congestion, and safeguard the environment, Daimler said.

Officials emphasized that the robotic vehicle does not make human drivers obsolete. "It is not a driverless truck—the driver is a key part of a collaborative vehicle system," Richard Howard, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Portland, Ore.-based DTNA, said in a statement. "With the Freightliner Inspiration Truck, drivers can optimize their time on the road while also handling other important logistical tasks, from scheduling to routing. The autonomous vehicle technology not only contributes to improved safety and efficiency, but allows for improved communication through connectivity and integration."

The system works by using an array of camera and radar sensors to maintain the legal speed, stay in the selected lane, keep a safe braking distance from other vehicles, and slow or stop the vehicle based on traffic and road conditions. Operating together, those "highway pilot" capabilities have earned the truck a designation of Level 3 autonomous vehicle capabilities, as determined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The designation requires drivers to take back control for such operations as exiting the highway, driving down local roads, and docking for deliveries, Daimler said. Human drivers only cede full control of safety-critical functions when cruising in ideal traffic and weather conditions on open highways, Daimler said.

While Daimler has built only two trucks with its full suite of Highway Pilot sensors and computer hardware, the company has also applied some of these technologies—known as "core autonomous vehicle systems"—in another model of commercial truck called the "Freightliner Cascadia Evolution."

Transportation Trucking
KEYWORDS Daimler Trucks North America
  • Related Articles

    Daimler invests in digitalized truck insurance startup

    Daimler to launch self-driving truck unit June 1

    Daimler enlists Penske and NFI in electric truck trials

Benames
Ben Ames has spent 20 years as a journalist since starting out as a daily newspaper reporter in Pennsylvania in 1995. From 1999 forward, he has focused on business and technology reporting for a number of trade journals, beginning when he joined Design News and Modern Materials Handling magazines. Ames is author of the trail guide "Hiking Massachusetts" and is a graduate of the Columbia School of Journalism.

Recent Articles by Ben Ames

Unsolicited takeover of Ryder is unlikely to succeed, analyst says

Amazon Freight adds more shippers to its network through link with MercuryGate TMS

Autonomous trucking firms launch partnerships with freight transportation providers

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • Container prices continue to drop

  • Autonomous trucking firms launch partnerships with freight transportation providers

  • Demand for piece-picking robots gains steam

  • Now's the time to be a logistics professional

  • Empty shipping containers stack up at U.S. port depots

Now Playing on DCV-TV

Datalogic reducing labor vs

Reducing labor and exception handling with optimized scanners

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
When scanners fail to read barcodes on parcels as they move on conveyors, the added cost of manual handling and processing is significant.  New technology optimizes scanners dramatically increases accuracy eliminating manual labor. 

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Guide to Proven Warehouse Solutions

  • Five common misconceptions about running a private fleet

  • Optimize AS/RS With Advanced Warehouse Execution Software

  • The Value of Genuine Parts and Service

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2022. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing