Daimler Truck Introduces New Safety Assistance Systems for Trucks and Touring Coaches With Enhanced Cross-Traffic, Turning, Lane and Driver Monitoring Functions

New safety features from Mercedes-Benz Trucks

(IN BRIEF) Daimler Truck is introducing new and enhanced safety assistance systems for trucks and touring coaches at IAA Transportation 2026, led by Active Cross Traffic Assist, Active Sideguard Assist 3, Active Drive Assist 3 and Attention Assist 2. Active Cross Traffic Assist uses a 270-degree sensor-fusion system to detect vehicles and motorcycles crossing the vehicle’s path at speeds of up to 120 km/h and can escalate from warnings and partial braking to automated full braking when a collision risk remains. Active Sideguard Assist 3 extends active turning support to both sides and introduces detection of rapidly approaching oncoming traffic when turning across the driver’s side. Active Drive Assist 3 adds new personalization, lane-guidance and simplified steering-assistance controls to Mercedes-Benz Trucks’ Level 2 partially automated driving system, while Attention Assist 2 uses an infrared camera to identify signs of distraction, fatigue and possible microsleep without storing or transmitting camera recordings. Daimler Truck has validated the systems through simulation, proving-ground and road testing covering approximately six million kilometres worldwide. Active Cross Traffic Assist and Active Sideguard Assist 3 are scheduled for introduction from April 2027 across Actros, Arocs and touring-coach applications.

(PRESS RELEASE) LEINFELDEN-ECHTERDINGEN / HANOVER, 14-Sep-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Daimler Truck is presenting a new generation of safety assistance technologies for trucks and touring coaches at IAA Transportation 2026, including the new Active Cross Traffic Assist, Active Sideguard Assist 3, an enhanced Active Drive Assist 3 and the camera-based Attention Assist 2. The systems are designed to support professional drivers in complex traffic situations through earlier hazard detection, warnings, automated braking and, in certain configurations, steering assistance.

Active Cross Traffic Assist and Active Sideguard Assist 3 will become available from April 2027 for all Mercedes-Benz Actros and Arocs models as well as Mercedes-Benz and Setra touring coaches. Active Drive Assist 3 will initially be offered for the Actros. Daimler Truck stresses that all assistance functions operate within defined system limits and that responsibility for safe vehicle operation remains with the driver.

Mustafa Üstertuna, Chief Engineer for Software & Electronics Development at Daimler Truck, said the development process begins by identifying real-world situations in which truck and coach drivers face particularly high demands. He explained that the company uses accident research and traffic analysis to determine how sensors and software can identify risks earlier and provide targeted support without removing driver responsibility.

The new Active Cross Traffic Assist focuses on intersection situations involving vehicles or motorcycles approaching rapidly from either side and crossing the truck or coach’s path. The system combines long-range radar, a multifunction camera and short-range radar sensors to create a 270-degree sensor-fusion view around the vehicle.

Within its detection area, the technology can recognize crossing vehicles and motorcycles travelling at speeds of up to 120 km/h. If an imminent collision is detected, the system first provides side-specific visual and acoustic warnings and can initiate partial braking. If the driver does not respond and the danger continues, the system can escalate to an automated full braking manoeuvre and, depending on the situation, bring the vehicle to a complete stop. The driver can override the intervention at any time.

Active Sideguard Assist 3 expands Daimler Truck’s turning and lane-change support by providing active assistance on both sides of the vehicle. Its principal new capability involves turns across the driver’s side, where the system can detect rapidly approaching oncoming traffic across multiple lanes.

Oncoming vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 120 km/h can be detected within the system’s operating range. When the truck or coach is travelling at up to 40 km/h, visual and acoustic warnings can be issued if a collision risk is identified. If the risk remains and the driver does not react, automated braking can be initiated at vehicle speeds between 0 and 20 km/h.

The system combines six radar sensors with a multifunction camera and monitors defined areas beside and ahead of the vehicle, including areas alongside trailers and semitrailers. It continues to provide support when turning across the passenger side and during lane changes in either direction.

Depending on the situation and vehicle configuration, Active Sideguard Assist 3 can provide warnings and braking assistance or work together with lane-guidance functions to deliver an overrideable steering intervention.

The enhanced Active Drive Assist 3 represents the next development stage of Daimler Truck’s Level 2 partially automated driving technology. It assists with longitudinal and lateral vehicle control and can automatically accelerate, brake, maintain a selected distance from traffic ahead and support stop-and-go operation.

New functions include faster deactivation of steering assistance directly from a steering-wheel button and the ability to store individual driver preferences for Active Drive Assist and Active Brake Assist. Up to six driver cards can retain personalized settings, which are automatically applied when the corresponding card is recognised.

When active, the system can help keep the vehicle within a detected lane and compensate for influences such as gentle curves, uneven road surfaces and crosswinds. Drivers can choose from three preferred lane positions.

An improved active lane-return function can intervene earlier when the vehicle begins to unintentionally leave its lane, while the new steering-assistance deactivation function is intended to make operation simpler in situations such as construction areas with ambiguous road markings.

Active Drive Assist 3 also works together with Active Sideguard Assist 3 during lane changes. If a vehicle is detected in an adjacent lane after the turn signal has been activated, the driver receives visual and acoustic warnings. If the Actros nevertheless moves across the lane marking and a collision risk remains, the system can apply an overrideable countersteering force to support a return to the original lane.

The technology also includes a hands-off warning cascade and emergency-stop function. If the system detects that the driver has not touched the steering wheel for an extended period and receives no response to the warning sequence, the vehicle can be decelerated in a controlled manner to a standstill within the system’s limits.

Daimler Truck notes that this emergency-stop function does not diagnose or determine a medical emergency; it responds only to a lack of driver interaction.

The new Attention Assist 2 introduces camera-based monitoring for potential distraction, fatigue and signs of possible microsleep. The system complies with General Safety Regulation Phase C requirements and goes beyond those requirements by adding potential microsleep detection.

An infrared camera evaluates parameters including head position, gaze direction, eyelid closure and eye-opening angle. If corresponding signs are detected, the driver can receive visual and acoustic warnings.

Daimler Truck says the camera operates as a closed system. Images are neither stored nor transmitted; instead, the system processes derived parameters required for the assessment, and the relevant data is retained only temporarily before being deleted.

The new assistance technologies have undergone a multi-stage validation process following Daimler Truck’s “simulation – proving ground – road” approach.

Simulation enables engineers to vary parameters such as vehicle speed, target type, intersection angle, road friction, payload and vehicle configuration to identify difficult edge cases before physical testing. Proving-ground evaluation then recreates selected crossing and turning scenarios involving motorcycles and other vehicles, supported by steering and pedal robots, soft targets and reference-measurement equipment.

Public-road testing is used for evaluating system robustness, driver acceptance, human-machine interfaces, false-warning behaviour, sensor stability and operation across real-world intersection layouts. Daimler Truck states that limit-testing scenarios are not carried out on public roads.

For Active Cross Traffic Assist, validation includes vehicle speeds between 10 and 80 km/h and intersection angles of 60, 90 and 120 degrees. Testing of the driver-side turning function in Active Sideguard Assist 3 covers vehicle speeds between 10 and 40 km/h and oncoming vehicles travelling at speeds of up to 100 km/h in direct and adjacent lanes.

Across the programme, Daimler Truck completed approximately six million test kilometres worldwide, covering different road environments, vehicle configurations, body types and operating conditions.

The technologies are being developed not only for freight vehicles but also for passenger transportation. Active Cross Traffic Assist and Active Sideguard Assist 3 will be offered in touring coaches, with Daimler Buses adapting the functions to vehicle-specific factors including coach geometry, driving characteristics and passenger requirements.

With the latest systems, Daimler Truck is extending its safety strategy across collision avoidance, turning assistance, partially automated driving and driver monitoring, with an emphasis on supporting professional drivers during the traffic situations that place the greatest demands on awareness and vehicle control.

Media Contacts:

Carola Pfeifle
Shared Product Topics, Services & Daimler Buses
carola.pfeifle​@daimlertruck.com
+49 160 8612423

SOURCE: Daimler Truck AG