Daimler’s Bernhard Wants Governments to Speed Approval of Self-Driving Trucks

Daimler Trucks North America

This story appears in the May 18 print edition of Transport Topics.

Speaking at the Hoover Dam in Nevada just prior to formally introducing the Freightliner Inspiration autonomous-driving truck, Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Daimler’s global truck and bus unit, said “whoever has the regulatory framework in place” will be the first to get autonomous vehicles.

At the Las Vegas Motor Speedway earlier on May 5, Bernhard received from Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval the first state-issued license plate for an autonomous-driving truck.

As much as a race is under way between vehicle makers and other companies to develop autonomous technology, Bernhard appeared to be trying to create another race — one among nations — to position themselves as technological leaders.

PHOTO GALLERY: Inspiration Truck

TT VIDEO: Daum exclusive interview| First drive | Crossing Hoover Dam | First close-up 

FREIGHTLINER VIDEO: Scenes from Hoover Dam | Self-driving unveiling

MAKING HISTORY: Inspiration licensed for Nevada highways

LIVEONWEB: Infrastructure Week, more Daum video

Just one week after Bernhard’s dramatic Freightliner Inspiration introduction, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation will reorganize its regulatory framework to streamline the rulemaking process for safety and autonomous technologies that will “lead to cars that can drive themselves better than a human can.”

Foxx also said DOT’s plans to expedite that rulemaking would make vehicle-to-vehicle communication a requirement in future cars.

It is not fair to suggest Foxx’s announcement was tied directly to Bernhard’s comments. After all, driverless cars already are traveling California roads, and Daimler is far from the only company in the truck-maker space developing the technology. But it does suggest DOT is interested in helping the United States (and companies such as Portland, Oregon-based Daimler Trucks North America) be among the leaders.

One of the most interesting parts of the Inspiration event was a simple driver’s seat. It evoked one of the most enduring images of the Mercedes-Benz Future Truck, which was premiered by Daimler in July in Magdeburg, Germany. Then, Bernhard sat in the driver’s seat that was shifted at a 45-degree angle and looked into a camera as the vehicle drove itself. And, during demonstrations on a closed stretch of the Autobahn, the Future Truck driver was shown on a video screen using a tablet as the truck traveled among other vehicles.

Likewise, the Freightliner Inspiration driver was able to sit more comfortably than if he were actively driving once the vehicle was switched into autonomous mode.

Besides the interior design, there were changes to how Daimler suggested all this would change the profession of truck driving.

During a video presentation at the Hoover Dam, the messages sent in Las Vegas placed a greater emphasis on improving drivers’ lives, than they did on redefining job duties.

Daimler Trucks North America President Martin Daum said in an interview that producing safety assistance systems reduces fatigue, meaning “a driver can stay longer behind the wheel — fresh, alert, safe, doing his job. That would increase productivity of the fleet and would certainly increase income for the driver.”

Company executives said the safety systems that are part of autonomous technology can help make a “real business case” for longer hours of service.

If nothing else, those comments were meant to alleviate concerns about making the truck driver obsolete. Daum said that is the No. 1 message he hoped industry observers would take away.

DTNA outlined federal standards of autonomous driving and stressed how the company is not interested in “Level 4” operation in which the driver is not expected to control the vehicle at any time.

As the technology continues to develop, selling it to truck drivers will be part of the agenda, much like what has happened with automated manual transmissions.

As exciting as it was to climb aboard Inspiration, it was in some ways the least dramatic part of the two-day introduction. Once inside, strong winds picked up, providing real-world challenges on Interstate 15. Yet, traveling in autonomous mode at speeds higher than 50 mph, the ride proved uneventful. During those stretches, the driver removed his hands from the wheel and made an effort to make eye contact with passengers rather than watching the road.

Otherwise, it would have been difficult to notice any difference from other test drives. Whether the thousands of people who rode alongside the autonomous-driving truck in Nevada noticed may never be known, either.

One piece of safety equipment that stood out was the side-mounted rearview cameras. After one or two glances to get used to them, the vision benefits of the cameras were unmistakable.

Inspiration still had traditional mirrors, a requirement for all vehicles.