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ADAS technologies such as the Detroit Assurance safety suite now feature more accurate object detection. (Daimler Truck North America)

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Advanced driver assistance systems for commercial vehicles have long been capable of issuing safety warnings or automatically taking action to prevent crashes by answering basic questions: What’s that object up ahead? Is the blind spot occupied by another vehicle? What speed is safest for this upcoming curve?

However, suppliers of ADAS technologies said these systems have been evolving to help prevent a ­wider array of potential perils. ­Advances in sensors and faster processing are enabling ADAS to do more, and to do it more accurately, said Dirk Wohltmann, director of engineering for commercial vehicle solutions at ’s Americas division.

“We have much better sensors today,” he said, noting technology advances such as the integration of radar and camera systems to provide a more complete picture of a truck’s surroundings. “We can detect and identify an object with much higher reliability.”

OnGuardMax, ZF’s automatic emer­gency braking system, warns a driver of obstructions in the vehicle’s path and can, if necessary, automatically slow the vehicle or bring it to a full stop, the company said. ZF’s OnSideAlert, a radar-based blind spot detection system, identifies stationary and moving objects in a vehicle’s blind spot.

Beginning with the 2023 model year, ZF began supplying its OnTraX Lane Keeping Assist technology on Kenworth and Peterbilt trucks. ­Using forward-facing cameras, the system gauges edges of a marked lane, ZF said. If the tractor starts drifting without activation of the turn signal, the system uses onboard processors and an adaptive steering module to adjust the steering torque.

Meanwhile, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems has made improvements to its Wingman Fusion system, which includes wider radar and a wider field of view for its forward-­facing camera.

T.J. Thomas, Bendix’s director of marketing and customer solutions, said the enhancements support two new features: pedestrian autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control with “stop and auto-go.”

“Once we design our system, we work very deeply with the OEMs to integrate it into the vehicle,” Thomas said, adding that the process ­usually takes about 12 to 18 months. “It’s very important that anyone who’s going to be in a vehicle with these [systems] really understands not only what features are there and how they work, but also their limitations.”

Thomas noted that if the sensor can’t see a pedestrian, there’s no way it can issue an alert or apply brakes.

“Our goal is to have the driver deal with the scenario before the system does,” he said. “That’s why we always alert first.”

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Detroit Assurance's Side Guard Assist features have been upgraded to monitor for pedestrians and bicycles on each side of the vehicle and warn the driver. (Detroit Diesel Corp.)

Daimler Truck North America’s ADAS brand, , is offering the sixth version of its Active Brake Assist, featuring long-range radar, four short-range radars and a camera integrated to identify objects. The updated version uses the additional radars to tie two or more views together “to put a dimensional aspect into classifying nearby objects,” said Mike Young, product marketing manager at DTNA.

A new electrical architecture in the latest enables a higher rate of information processing to support the advanced ADAS features. Detroit Assurance ABA6 can detect and track 80 objects at once and detect road boundaries with more accuracy, he said.

Larger windshields and sloped hoods provide improved driver visibility, but human limitations still apply, Young noted.

“We, as people, are still limited in our field of view and we can only focus on so much at one time,” he said, adding that radars are able to track objects 800 feet in front of the truck as well as objects in the adjacent lanes down the length of a 53-foot trailer on both sides.

Detroit Assurance’s Front Guard Alert feature can notify the driver if a pedestrian crosses into the pathway covered by radars. Additionally, the system now can provide braking in reaction to stationary pedestrians. Side Guard Assist features also have been upgraded to monitor for pedestrians and bicycles on each side of the vehicle and warn the driver, Young said.

DTNA also offers adaptive cruise control to zero, which can work in stop-and-go traffic. Freightliner and Western Star trucks spec’d with Detroit Assurance and a Detroit DT12 transmission have the capability to use adaptive cruise control down to 0 mph, Young said.

Daimler's Detroit Technology

“We have this set up to re-engage cruise control if the vehicle is at a standstill for 2 seconds or less,” he said, explaining that in that time frame, it is possible a car or pedestrian could be trying to merge or walk out in front of a truck.

If the stop is 2 seconds or less, the vehicle will automatically accelerate and continue to pace the vehicle it is following at a safe distance, Young said.

“Speed and curve assist,” a new feature that works in cruise control, uses map and GPS data to monitor speed limits, upcoming curves and other instances in which a truck would need to slow down to navigate a predicted route.

“ADAS systems cannot yet account for every instance that a truck may come across since there are infinite situations that can occur on the road,” Young said. “But they are a great tool for situations where the technology is capable and the conditions allow.”

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Pedestrian detection, collision avoidance and automatic lane-keeping were among the enhanced ADAS capabilities that Volvo Trucks announced in June. (Volvo)

In June, Volvo Trucks announced enhanced ADAS capabilities, including pedestrian detection, collision avoidance, automatic lane-keeping and an emergency call function to automatically contact emer­gency services in the event of a severe crash. The launch of its new VNL and VNR trucks enabled Volvo to roll out proprietary ADAS in North America that it has offered in markets around the world for years.

“We’ve got a lot of learnings and miles under our belt when it comes to how the system works,” Volvo Truck product manager Maddie Sullivan said.

Volvo's In-House Software

Software for how the truck responds to inputs is created in-house, Sullivan pointed out.

“It means that we get to dictate when the truck [issues] alerts, how frequently [and] what that alert sounds like. We think that’s really going to go a long way to driver acceptance,” Sullivan said.

Forward-collision warning users will notice the addition of pedes­trian and cyclist detection, supported with automatic emergency ­braking, Sullivan said. The system can reliably detect pedestrians within a range of approximately 23 to 230 feet, she said.

Drivers using adaptive cruise control will see how far away the vehicle ahead is and how fast it’s traveling.

“That’ll give you some idea of what adjustments the truck is going to make,” Sullivan said.

AI-Powered Telematics

Telematics providers are part of the safety technology equation, combining cameras, radar and artificial intelligence to detect driver distraction and fatigue, and generate prompts that drivers and managers can respond to.

Using real-time AI embedded in its in-cab cameras, Samsara’s technology “looks at 17 predefined behaviors like eye closure or yawning” to detect driver fatigue and distraction, said Johan Land, senior vice president of product and engineering at the company.

When fatigue or distraction is detected, the system issues an in-cab alert in real time, giving the driver a chance to self-correct, Land said. Fleet managers are simultaneously notified so they can check in with the driver and adjust routes if needed.

Detection of mobile phone usage, close following and speeding also result in real-time, in-cab feedback to drivers and instant alerts to managers, enabling teams to act before risks escalate, Land added.

“This includes the ability to distinguish between isolated instances — like a single distracted driving event — and consistent, repeated behaviors that signal deeper risk,” he said.

Brendon Hill, senior vice president of product at Lytx, said fatigue detection systems often have relied on simple behavioral cues, such as yawning, to conclude that a driver is fatigued.

“We’ve learned in the industry that yawning is a poor single signal of fatigue,” he said, adding that there’s a series of escalating behaviors that signal fatigued driving.

In July, the telematics provider introduced its Fatigue Detection technology, which it described as a combination of machine vision, artificial intelligence and human intelligence to discover signs of drowsy driving early and accurately. The system detects a driver closing his or her eyes or leaning on the steering wheel, for example. Notifications to fleet managers can help initiate a prompt response.

Jean-Sebastien Bouchard, co-­founder and chief product officer at Isaac Instruments, said the telematics vendor has shifted reliance from databases in some cases to camera-based observations that are then used to address safety matters in real time.

For instance, the system previously would refer to a database to determine the posted speed limit for a particular road segment, and compare that to the tractor’s speed in the moment.

“But today we’re using the camera to read the posted speed sign and tell the driver that he’s speeding,” Bouchard explained, adding that the alerts will generate from the forward-facing and driver-facing cameras.

“If I can have a self-coaching tool for my driver — not creating a video — it’s even better,” he explained. “The goal is to tell the driver what he’s doing wrong, and to give him the time he needs to fix it.”

If the driver doesn’t modify his or her driving, then the system will generate a video, but the goal is to eliminate unsafe driving in the first place.

“The best video is the video that doesn’t exist,” Bouchard said.