Eastern Canada’s Trucking Newspaper Since 1981
April 2019
Delivering daily news at trucknews.com
Volume 39, Issue 3
Page 17
Pages 19
Page 43-44
Page 50
Schools and fleets discuss their thoughts on training standards in Ontario.
Omnitracs provides an update on the Canadian electronic logging device (ELD) mandate.
Leading fleets share tips on how and why they measure driver performance.
Electrifying the fleet is the latest trend, but it’s not simple or inexpensive.
Training talk
ELD update
Measuring performance
Convoy organizer surprised by level of support
Power up
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By Derek Clouthier RED DEER, ALBERTA Glen Carritt never expected United We Roll! Convoy For Canada to get the warm reception it did across the country. Carritt, who organized the convoy that departed Red Deer, Alta., Feb. 14 and arrived on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ont., Feb. 19 to show support for Canada’s oil and gas industry, said the plan was simple and straightforward. “When we first set out, the goal was to get to Ottawa and Parliament Hill, make some noise, and have the rally,” said Carritt. “And then all of a sudden there were people meeting us. And I thought once we got into Ontario this was going to fizzle… the closer we got to Ottawa, there was no way we were going to get this kind of support.” Carritt, a councilor for the town of Innisfail, Alta., and a small business owner, admitted he had reservations about how Ontarians would react to the pro-pipeline convoy. “I’m not going to lie to you, I am a typical westerner who thought Continued on page 14
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Freightliner’s new Cascadia spec’d with Detroit Assurance 5.0 is the world’s most technologically advanced truck.
Driving the first Level 2 autonomous new Cascadia Level 2 autonomy supports – but doesn’t replace – the driver By James Menzies WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA Driving what will be the world’s first production series Class 8 truck with SAE Level 2 autonomous driving capabilities is a vastly different experience, at first filled with apprehension and mild disbelief, followed by appreciation. Freightliner’s new Cascadia spec’d with Detroit Assurance 5.0 is the world’s most technologically advanced truck. SAE Level 2 autonomy can be loosely defined as “hands off the wheel/eyes on the road” driving under certain circumstances. The truck can control both the pedals and the steering wheel, much like Tesla’s autopilot passenger cars do today, but the driver is ultimately still in control. And removing your hands from the wheel of the semi-autonomous new Cascadia for 15 seconds or so will result in an audible and visual warning. Refusing to acknowledge the warnings will see the steering functionality shut down, though lane keeping assist will remain in effect to prevent the truck from completely deviating from its lane. This, in a nutshell, is the most advanced level of driver assistance available in the heavy truck space, but it’s by no means meant to replace the driver. As I found during a test drive in Florida in mid-February, the driver must
always remain alert and ready to take over full control of the truck, though the technological support was certainly appreciated. The brains of the Level 2 autonomy in the new Cascadia is Detroit Assurance 5.0, the latest version of the company’s proprietary collision mitigation system, which now goes far beyond collision mitigation. It has evolved significantly since the first version was released in 2014 and has become much more widely embraced by customers, with 75% of buyers now spec’ing Detroit Assurance, up from 29% when first launched. What’s new with Detroit Assurance 5.0 The biggest development with Detroit Assurance 5.0 was the fusion of camera technology with the previous radar only-based system. This opens up a whole range of new capabilities, one of the most interesting of which is full braking for moving pedestrians. The camera looks for the telltale hip movements associated with a walking pedestrian and can apply the brakes fully to prevent or mitigate impact. Fun fact: The system doesn’t even look for the swinging arm movement that would easily identify a walking human, because engineers realized a person walking into the path of a semi truck could very well have both hands (and eyes) affixed to a cellphone. This is what it’s come to, folks. Continued on page 24
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