Fleet Management News & Business Info | Commercial Carrier Journal
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COMMERCIAL CARRIER JOURNAL | JANUARY 2015 27 technology D aimler Trucks North America's De- troit powertrain division recently showcased its new proprietary active safety system for commercial trucks at a press event in Hollywood, Fla. The Assur- ance system has been a Daimler mainstay in Europe for more than a decade on Mercedes Actros tractors. Brad William- son, product manager for Detroit, said the system has logged millions of test miles on top of 3.5-million real-world miles in Europe. Daimler will continue to offer its cur- rent suite of safety systems from outside suppliers, but Williamson said the As- surance system offers fleets advantages because it is fully integrated with Detroit engines and its DT12 automated manual transmission. Assurance's radar system is designed to scan the highway in front of the tractor, picking up and tracking any vehicles within a 600-foot range. In adaptive cruise mode, the system automatically adjusts speed to match traffic in front of the truck. If cruise is set at 65 mph but a car in front is going 59 mph, the system will slow the truck down to match the slower car and automatically return to the preset speed once the car speeds up or changes lanes. If the system detects a rapid closure rate, the first warning stage mutes the stereo in the truck and sounds an audio alarm. If the closure rate continues, the system works in conjunction with the DD Series engine to decrease the throttle to begin slowing the tractor. If the dis- tance between the two vehicles continues to close, Assurance fully engages by initi- ating the engine brake, downshifting the DT12 transmission and fully engaging the brakes if necessary. An optional camera system can be spec'd to give Assurance a lane departure warning system that tracks lane markings and other reflective surfaces and issues a low "rumble strip" warning should the truck wander. The system does not en- gage if the turn signal is activated, and it also gives drivers a high degree of flexibil- ity: They can deactivate it in tight traffic conditions for up to 15 minutes at a time provided the vehicle remains under 49 mph. If the truck exceeds that speed, the system will reengage automatically. The Assurance active safety system will be available on Cascadia and Cascadia Evolution tractors in the first quarter. – Jack Roberts Daimler showcases Assurance safety system