Autonomous commercial truck granted license to operate on U.S. public highways

Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) recently unveiled its Freightliner Inspiration vision-guided autonomous commercial truck, which is the first licensed truck of its kind to drive on U.S. public highway.

The truck was developed by engineers at DTNA, and is designed to unlock autonomous vehicle advancements that reduce accidents, improve fuel consumption, cut highway congestion, and safeguard the environment. Still only a concept vehicle with only two of its kind in existence, the truck was recently unveiled to a group of hundreds of international news media, trucking industry analysts, and officials at a ceremony at the Hoover Dam.

"Putting the Freightliner Inspiration Truck on the road is an historic day for Daimler Trucks and the North American trucking industry," said Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG Daimler Trucks & Buses. "Our team has done a marvelous job in bringing this breakthrough

As expected, the Freightliner Inspiration truck has a sophisticated imaging system, beginning with the Highway Pilot system. This system combines camera and radar technology to provide lane stability, collision avoidance, speed control, braking, steering, and an advanced dash display to allow for safe autonomous operation on public highways. The system consists of a mirror camera, a stereo camera in the center of the windshield, an HMI display, and a radar sensor near the license plate.

The radar unit in the center of the truck scans the roan at long and short range, and long-range radar, with a range of 820 ft. and an 18° segment, looks far and narrow to see vehicles ahead. The short-range radar, with a range of 230 ft. and scanning a 130° segment, looks wider to see vehicles that might cut in front of the truck.

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