Riding what DTNA Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Richard Howard calls “massive momentum,” 2019 came out of the gate hot. Build slots for this year are already filled and cancellation rates are 1.5 percent – about half of their normal rate, Howard says. The Freightliner brand hit 48 percent marketshare in U.S. Class 8 truck sales in January on the strength of Cascadia – the Freightliner flagship long-haul truck that got a tech and aero-rich overhaul barely two years ago, and will get another one for the 2020 model year.
Next generation Cascadia tractors, set for production this Fall, will enable SAE Level 2 automated driving and will become the first production model to hold such distinction in North America. Level 2 automation means the truck can accelerate, decelerate and steer independently. I was able to experience all those newly automated functions on a test drive between West Palm Beach and Fort Pierce, Fla., last week.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 94 percent of crashes are caused by human error. Over the past 120-plus years, Daimler has been awarded more than 100,000 patents for safety. The goal, Howard says, is to be “100 percent accident-free,” and adding a technology layer of driver support to Cascadia is a step in that direction.
The brains of the operation
The Detroit Assurance 5.0 platform is the brain that enables automated driving. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) handles acceleration and deceleration while Active Lane Assist handles automated steering input.
