The new Mercedes Actros over the road truck system actually has autonomous distronic with complete emergency braking for close following. In town they use the front radar cruise with fly by wire throttle and computer controlled automatic/ manual transmission to allow automatic following in stop and go traffic to make it easier on the driver. They have even done extensive testing of wirelessly interlinking the control networks of several vehicles to form a "train" whereby the front driver controls everyone's brakes for instant response times in addition to the distronic. Complete ABS and ESP, forward night vision, lane keeping assist, blind spot assist, ect. for the tractor and trailer make for a very modern system. Imagine the billions of gallons of fuel that could be saved if tractor trailers could safely draft!
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The new Mercedes-Benz Actros | Daimler > Company > Special Topics > The new Actros