Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics are actively developing and testing automated trucks with SAE Level 4 technology on highways in southwest Virginia, USA.
All automated runs require both an engineer overseeing the system and a safety driver certified by Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics.
The deployment on public roads takes place after months of testing and safety validation on a closed loop track.
Martin Daum, member of the board of management of Daimler, responsible for Trucks & Buses, said: “Bringing Level 4 trucks to the public roads is a major step toward our goal to deliver reliable and safe trucks for the benefits of our customers, our economies and society.”
Following Daimler’s acquisition of Torc Robotics earlier this year, the US-based company is now a part of the newly established Autonomous Technology Group of Daimler Trucks.
Meanwhile, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) will focus on furthering automated driving technology and vehicle integration for heavy-duty trucks.
The DTNA team is working on a truck chassis suited to highly automated driving, particularly the redundancy of systems needed to provide reliability and safety.
Within the Autonomous Technology Group, DTNA is also building an infrastructure required for the operational testing of initial application cases.
This consists of a main control centre and logistics hubs. These hubs are located along high density freight corridors where many customers operate and within close proximity of interstates and highways.
