Daimler Trucks Drives World's First Autonomous Truck on Public Road

The truck, which is equipped with the intelligent Highway Pilot system for autonomous driving, made its first journey on US highway 15 in Las Vegas. The state of Nevada licensed two Freightliner Inspiration Trucks for regular operation on public roads.

"Our Freightliner Inspiration Truck is the world's first autonomous commercial vehicle to be licensed for road use. Our achievement here underlines yet again our role as a technological pioneer and demonstrates our consistent dedication to develop the technology for autonomous long-distance driving to series production standard. I am proud of this extra-ordinary achievement by the Daimler Trucks team," stated Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, Daimler AG board member responsible for Trucks and Buses.

It was in July last year that Daimler showcased this technology with a demonstration on the A14 Autobahn near Magdeburg. Now, the first appearance of the Inspiration Truck on a public road in the U.S. marks the logical next step on the journey to series production. In the last few months the technology has been tested over many thousands of kilometers and configured for use in U.S. highway traffic.

"We are in a unique position among manufacturers that we are able to implement technologies across all business units and brands. We have transferred our Highway Pilot system to our U.S. Freightliner brand within a very short time frame and developed it for the world's first autonomous truck to be licensed for road use," reports Dr. Bernhard.

The Highway Pilot technology from Daimler Trucks demonstrably leads to more concentrated and thus more efficient long-haul truck drivers. Measurements of the probands' brain currents (EEG) demonstrated that driver drowsiness decreases by about 25% when the truck is being operated in autonomous mode, and the driver all the while pursuing other meaningful operations. The studies also prove a high acceptance of the Highway Pilot technology and a rapid adaption phase of the probands. Relieving strains of the driver through autonomous truck driving leads to more road safety.