Daimler Truck is adding collision-avoidance features to its Freightliner trucks, including systems that can spot certain hazards and apply the brakes. The technology is intended to help in situations such as a car cutting across a truck’s path or a pedestrian getting too close during a turn.
At the company’s Oregon test facility, engineers used remote-controlled platforms carrying dummy cars to recreate sudden hazards. In one demonstration, a Freightliner Cascadia avoided a collision. In another, it struck the dummy vehicle after braking. The contact showed that automatic braking cannot prevent every crash, but slowing a heavy truck before impact may reduce the force of a collision.
The tests were generally conducted at speeds of 40 to 55 mph, with about 30,000 pounds loaded into the trailer. A truck carrying that much weight needs considerable distance to stop, so even a brief warning or reduction in speed can matter.
The systems are part of Detroit Assurance, Daimler Truck North America’s driver-assistance technology. One central feature, Active Brake Assist 6, uses five radar sensors and a camera to monitor the area around the truck. It provides roughly 270 degrees of coverage, including areas alongside a standard 53-foot trailer.
Active Brake Assist 6 can identify some stopped vehicles, including cars positioned at unusual angles after a crash. It can warn the driver and, when needed, apply the brakes. The system can also recognize pedestrians and cyclists in certain situations, which may be helpful in crowded areas where people are harder to see from the cab.
A new feature called Cross Traffic Assist is designed for intersections. Radar detects vehicles moving across the truck’s path, and the system can issue visual and audible warnings if it identifies a possible collision. If the risk increases, it can apply partial or full braking.
Daimler is also expanding Active Side Guard Assist 2. When the truck’s left-turn signal is on, the system can detect certain approaching vehicles and warn the driver or brake if necessary. It builds on existing protection for the passenger-side blind spot during right turns, where the technology can detect pedestrians and cyclists and apply the brakes when needed.
The expanded features are planned as standard equipment on Freightliner Cascadias built starting in 2027, with production scheduled to begin in January. Active Brake Assist 6 is already standard on the fifth-generation Cascadia.
Freightliner’s optional Active Lane Assist 2 can help keep the truck centered and correct unintended drifting. It can also provide steering assistance in some difficult conditions, including strong crosswinds. Another feature, Attentive Driver Protection, monitors whether the driver responds to warnings while lane assistance is active. If the driver does not respond, the system can slow the truck to a stop, help keep it in its lane and turn on the hazard lights.
That feature does not identify medical emergencies or determine why a driver has stopped responding. It reacts to a lack of response under specific conditions, and its performance, like that of other assistance systems, can depend on road conditions and sensor effectiveness.
These systems may offer extra support, but they are not a guarantee against crashes. Older trucks may not have the newest features, and sensors can be affected by poor weather or limited visibility. Drivers sharing the road with big rigs should still leave plenty of space, avoid lingering alongside a truck and wait until there is enough room before merging back in front of one.
Daimler’s demonstrations showed both the promise and the limits of the technology: one simulated crash was avoided, while another still involved contact despite the truck braking. In real traffic, hazards can be unpredictable, and no system can change the physics of a heavy truck moving at highway speed. Still, reducing speed before an impact could make a serious collision less severe.
