Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA) is road testing its digital truck technology on American highways.
The platooning system digitally links vehicles together in convoys. And DTNA has been granted permission by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) to test its platform on the highway. The technology enables the trucks to communicate with each other and react in unison to any situation.
Roger Nielsen, President and CEO, DTNA, said: “We see growing customer interest in platooning. This technology stands for more efficiency and safety. Platooning technology is not meant to replace drivers – it’s designed to help drivers. When the world is ready for platooning, DTNA will have a proven solution. Right now, we are driving Freightliners in platoons every day. I have personally driven one of our trucks in a connected mode. My experience has been impressive.”
It is the latest platooning innovation from the commercial trucking industry. We reported in January that Scania is designing the world’s first full-scale autonomous truck platooning operations to transport cargo between ports in Singapore. In the Scania system three autonomous trucks follow a lead one that is driven by a truck driver.
