Mercedes-Benz Level 2 autonomous truck 2022 Review

Autonomous trucks are nothing new. They’ve been available for use in the mining industry for years. Large trucks on set runs getting loaded and dumping their burden without the intervention of man or beast has been normal in the backblocks for a long time.

But on the road? In a loaded semi? With citizens flashing by in their cars? Not yet, you’d think.

However, it’s now a reality. Mercedes-Benz has just released what it calls its Active Drive Assist technology that enables SAE Level 2 partially autonomous driving.

It’s a first for Australian heavy-duty trucks and is available as an optional extra on all Actros models. A similar system has been available on Mercedes-Benz cars for a while now but it does have a few differences, as you’d expect.

The Active Drive Assist system works using cameras that monitor the lane markings on the road, be they broken lines or unbroken, and in simple terms it sends a message to the new electric/hydraulic steering which in turn keeps you in the middle of the lane.

The new electric-assisted steering needs a mention here. The steering is speed sensitive, meaning it gives more assistance at low speeds for ease of manoeuvring and the assistance drops off as speed increases to give more ‘feel’ at highway speeds.

It’s a really good system that’s positive on the road with no slop; you can really position the truck on the road with precision.

But back to the autonomous bit. The system is an 'opt-in' system as opposed to an 'opt-out' where the default is to have it on all the time. This system is operated via a button on the left-hand screen in the truck and works in conjunction with the radar cruise control.

The system is actually a combination of two systems: Lane Keeping, which automatically keeps the vehicle in the lane, and Lane Departure Protection (LDP), which is a safety feature that automatically steers the vehicle back into the lane if it has drifted out of the lane.

To activate the Active Drive Assist, you press the aforementioned button on the screen and hit the adaptive cruise control. A graphic will appear on the central screen showing what the system can ‘see’, whether that is broken lines or solid lines, like the fog line at the side of the road.

The system will then attempt to keep the vehicle in between the lines, as opposed to some other systems that steer the vehicle back in to the centre when it wanders to the side.

As the name suggests, the Active Drive Assist is designed to assist the driver, not drive the vehicle itself, so you’re supposed to keep your hands on the wheel at all times.

If you don’t, the system will let you know by way of an alert flashing up on the central screen telling you to put your hands back on the wheel. This comes up when your hands have left the wheel for over 15 seconds. If you don't then put your hands back on the wheel a red warning will come up and an audio alert will sound.

If you still don’t put your hands on the wheel, the system will shut off and the emergency braking procedure will start to pull the vehicle up (at a gentle rate of deceleration, naturally).

Of course, I had to try it, and with some trepidation I took my hands off the wheel and let the system drive the vehicle for me. And so it did. There I was charging along the freeway in a loaded semi with no hands on the wheel!

Probably against the law, I know, but the ADA did work and the truck even took slight curves by itself until the orange warning appeared and I was reminded to return my hands to the wheel.

I was informed by the Mercedes-Benz trainer who came along with me on the ride that the system isn’t designed to take the place of the driver but to assist the driver and make the driving experience easier and less tiresome.

An interesting feature of the Active Drive Assist is that you can adjust the offset and place the vehicle to the left or right of the lane. By simply pressing a button on the steering wheel and swiping across the central button like a computer mouse, you can move the vehicle in increments of five per cent to the left or right of the lane.

I found this feature handy on our return trip when the wind got up and was pushing the truck to the right-hand side of the road. I set the offset to five degrees to the left to counteract the wind, and it worked a treat.

Of course you can use the cruise control independently of the ADA by simply flicking off the ADA button on the screen, and some drivers may not like the feeling of the wheel tugging under their hands. I tried both and for me it was fine having the ADA on but, on the other hand, I also liked to steer the truck myself and test out the new electro/hydraulic steering.

At the end of the day, it comes down to personal choice, but certainly the Active Drive Assist does help on those long drives where you need a bit of a rest. And, as mentioned, it can help on really windy days when you feel like you’re fighting the wheel all day. Then you can simply click it on and let the truck do some of the work.

Our truck for the test was an Actros 2653 6x4 prime mover pulling a single trailer loaded to around 35 tonnes GVM.

Power is quoted at 530hp with 2600Nm of torque. Transmission is 12-speed PowerShift. Along with the Active Drive Assist 2, the Actros was fitted with the optional Safety Pack which includes Lane Keep Assist, Attention Assist, Active Brake Assist 5, Proximity Control Assist, and automatic main/dipped beam and cornering light.

Other optional extras included a suspension seat for the passenger, tyre pressure monitoring, automatic climate control, roof deflector, cab side deflectors, external sunvisor, MirrorCam, and interactive multimedia cockpit.

Related reading:
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It was a lovely truck to drive and very interesting in that it had the sleeper compartment converted to seating so that it could be used for training purposes – kind of like a dual-cab prime mover, if you like.

I don’t know what else it could be used for, unless you wanted to take the whole family to work with you...

However, it was a truly lovely truck to drive. With the weight at only 35 tonnes, it made short work of the Pentland Hills out of Melbourne and we cruised out to Ballarat with no trouble at all.

I played with all the electronic systems on the truck on my drive and apart from the safety aspects, they really do make the drive a lot easier.

Whether you are a dyed-in-the-wool ‘old-school’ driver or one that embraces the modern technology, these driver-assistance and safety aids are here to stay and will only improve the life of the professional driver.

So our advice is to embrace them and get taught how to use them properly, and they really will make your job easier.

Specifications:
Mercedes-Benz Actros 2653 with Active Drive Assist
Engine: OM471 six-cylinder
Displacement: 12.8 litres
Power 530hp
Torque: 2600Nm
Transmission: 12-speed PowerShift automated manual
Axle ratio: 2.733
GVM: 26,000kg
GCM: 70,000kg
Fuel: 290 litres with opt 290 litre on RHS
AdBlue: 60 litres
Optional equipment: Safety Pack, including Lane Keep Assist, Attention Assist, Active Brake Assist 5, Proximity Control Assist and automatic main/dipped beam and cornering light, tyre pressure monitor, Active Drive Assist 2. Co-drivers suspension seat, StyleLine interior, automatic climate control, roof deflector, cab side deflectors, external sunvisor, MirrorCam, multimedia cockpit, interactive.