technology

Does the US only have to work through a truck driver shortage for another decade or so?

Perhaps, as German auto and truck maker Daimler said last week it was targeting 2025 for release of a self-driving truck into the marketplace.

The Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025 has successfully completed its first journey on a highway in Germany, thanks to new technology borrowed in large part from a system already available on Daimler's new Mercedes-Benz S-Class luxury sedan.

In addition to the Mercedes brand truck in Europe, the company sells Freightliner brand tractors in the US and the Fuso brand in Japan. Daimler is actually the world's largest truck maker.

The system makes use of already-available driver assist technologies, such as automatic braking, stability control and lane-warning systems, but adds a variety of radar systems to the mix.

In order to allow the truck to autonomously drive alongside other cars, what Daimler calls the Highway Pilot uses a combination of vehicle-to-vehicle communication via Wi-Fi (with a range of 1,640 feet), lateral radar on both sides of the truck (with a range of 197 feet) and full range (820 feet) and short-range (230 feet) radar mounted on the front of the truck. The truck also uses a front stereo camera, mounted just under its windshield. 

New funding of $1.7 million recently announced by the federal and New South Wales governments for trials of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) technologies has been welcomed by national peak body Intelligent Transport Systems Australia.

The Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program funds pioneering projects involving heavy vehicle to infrastructure communication technologies to make roads safer.

Intelligent Transport Systems Australia (ITS Australia) (www.its-australia.com.au) has commented on the United States Government announcement that it will begin taking steps to enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology for light vehicles.

ITS Australia chief executive officer Susan Harris said the announcement by the US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is pivotal in taking road safety to the next level.