Advanced Drive Assistance Systems (ADAS) in Heavy Trucks

In 2022, nearly 6,000 large trucks were involved in fatal crashes, according to the National Safety Council. In addition to incidents with fatalities, large trucks were involved in more than 120,000 crashes that resulted in injury. In recent years, the trucking industry has seen a spike in nuclear verdicts — those in excess of $10 million — so safe driving has taken on increased importance.

Reducing accidents and operating safely has long been a priority for truck fleets, truck manufacturers and suppliers. Some of the advancements in truck safety have been mandated, but others are the result of the industry itself trying to improve safety.

One area where there’s been tremendous growth is with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), ADAS features are designed to help drivers avoid crashes or to reduce the severity of crashes regardless of whether the driver is at fault. These technologies improve the driver’s view of the road, alert the driver about impending danger, maintain a safe distance between vehicles, and warn drivers if they perform a maneuver that could increase the chance of a crash.

Here's a look at some of the most common ADAS technologies, nearly all of which have become commonplace in light passenger vehicles but are comparatively new to the trucking industry.

Electronic stability control: Truck tractors with a gross vehicle weight rating of 26,000 pounds are now mandated to have electronic stability control. These systems are designed to mitigate on-road rollovers. They use sensors and wheel-end controls to detect conditions that may lead to a rollover and then automatically adjust the brakes or reduce engine torque output.

Automatic emergency braking (AEB): This technology can slow or stop a vehicle without input from the driver. In other words, if the driver fails to brake in a situation that requires braking, the AEB will automatically apply the brakes.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and FMCSA plan to issue a Final Rule to standardize equipment performance for AEBs on heavy trucks. The rulemaking is expected to establish performance standards and motor carrier maintenance requirements for AEB systems on heavy trucks and accompanying test procedures for measuring the performance of the AEB systems in NHTSA compliance testing. The rule is expected to be finalized early in 2025 and will apply to new Class 3 and larger vehicles.

Adaptive cruise control (ACC): Maintaining the correct distance to a vehicle traveling in front of a truck can be difficult. By automatically adapting the vehicle’s speed to traffic, ACC keeps the truck at an adequate and safe distance from the vehicle in front. ACC is a combination of cameras and sensors that reduces the vehicle’s speed when it detects that a vehicle in front has slowed. If the vehicle in front speeds up, the ACC automatically accelerates to the cruise control speed previously set by the driver.

Lane-departure warning: The system uses a camera to detect the lane markings ahead of the truck and warns the driver if they’re unintentionally moving out of the lane. Warnings are visual, audible and haptic. The warning alerts the driver that they’re drifting, which allows them to counter-steer and get back in the lane. The feature won’t issue a warning if the driver uses their turn signal to change lanes or turn.

Lane-keeping assist (LKA): This system uses a camera to see lane markings in front of the truck. LKA intervenes when it detects that the truck isn’t maintaining a defined minimum distance from the lane markings. Some LKA systems counter-steer to keep the vehicle in its lane, while others apply brake power to individual wheels.

Blind-spot warning: These radar-based systems can detect vehicles that the truck driver can’t see next to or behind their truck. The system helps the driver safely merge into adjacent passenger-side lanes by checking for clearance. If the system detects a vehicle on the side of the truck, it warns the driver, who then can take appropriate action.

Collision mitigation systems: These systems are designed to assist drivers in recognizing and subsequently responding to dangerous on-road situations through cameras, GPS, G-force sensors, radar, laser and artificial intelligence. The system monitors what’s happening around the truck and what the truck is doing as well. Computers process the data and prompt the system to take action. When the system first detects a dangerous situation, it alerts the driver via lights, sound and vibration. If the driver fails to respond to the alerts, the system can apply the brakes to avoid or mitigate the severity of an accident.

There are many technologies on the market to improve on-road safety for trucks and other vehicles. However, it’s important to remember that while these technologies assist the driver, they don’t replace the driver. ADAS technologies provide an extra layer of safety but drivers still need to be aware of what’s going on around them and drive defensively to ensure everyone stays safe on the roads.