Freightliner, a leading manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and a division of Daimler Truck North America LLC (DTNA), has officially announced the launch of its fifth generation Cascadia.
According to certain reports, the stated truck brings forth advanced safety features, increased aerodynamic efficiency, as well as several new business intelligence tools to benefit profitability. More on the same would reveal how Freightliner Cascadia, like its predecessors, offers a comprehensive lineup of engine options to complement various operational needs of fleets and their drivers.
You see, at launch, it provides powerful and fuel-efficient Detroit DD13 and DD15 engines, with ratings of up to 505hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque. Furthermore, it makes a play to improve uptime and furnish greater operational insights through an advanced setup capable of enabling both new and familiar business intelligence tools.
The vehicle also marks an update on the part of Freightliner’s Detroit Connect solution, which allows for drivers to access on-the-road benefits, while simultaneously helping fleet managers access all the relevant information in real-time.
Talk about Detroit Connect’s new features, they begin from Detroit Connect Video Capture 2.0, which can automatically capture and record data during safety events or when initiated by a driver, providing fleet managers with remote access to valuable insights on driver behavior and potential risks. Alongside that, videos are available in near-real-time through an improved user interface within the Detroit Connect Portal.
Next up, there is a facility for remote lock and unlock. A byproduct of fleet managers’ feedback, this particular facility should reduce roadside assistance costs and increase vehicle uptime. Moving on, the solution is now also prepared to offer geofencing capabilities, allowing customers to create custom-defined geographic areas in the Detroit Connect Portal and receive notifications when vehicles enter or leave that area.
Beyond that, Freightliner Cascadia also conceives an expanded skillset for Freightliner’s Detroit Assurance Suite of Safety Systems. Here, the standout updates happen to include enhanced computing power and an upgraded camera, as well as four new short-range radar sensors and an improved long-range radar sensor, all the components coming together to provide customers with new and updated safety offerings.
These safety offerings, for starters, introduce Active Brake Assist 6 (ABA6) which is now capable of adding automatic braking when detecting vehicles stopped at odd angles, vehicles in curves, stopped vehicles across multiple lanes, and recognizing both moving and stationary pedestrians.
Joining that would be Active Lane Assist 2 (ALA2) that now features Lane Change Assist, a technology which can go a long distance to mitigate out-of-lane accidents by providing counter steering in case a truck attempts to enter an already occupied lane.
Another safety solution you can come expecting here is rooted in Freightliner Cascadia’s Attentive Driver Protection. Basically, when Lane Keep Assist, a feature of ALA2, is on and active, this solution will chip in to monitor driver attention through steering wheel input. It will also have the means to initiate a sequence that keeps the Cascadia centered in its lane, slows the vehicle to a stop, and turns on the hazard lights if the driver is not responsive.
Apart from that, the vehicle comes decked up with an all-new Intelligent Braking Control System (IBCS). IBSC lets you access proven brake-by-wire technology combined with backup pneumatics, and at the same time, it employs wheel speed sensors and a chassis-mounted electronic control unit to facilitate advanced deceleration control. Furthermore, it allows for the introduction of Comfort Braking, which provides brake force distribution, lining wear control, and performance monitoring.
Markedly enough, IBCS also includes Endurance Braking, a feature that seamlessly blends the engine retarder and service brakes when the foot pedal is applied, helping to meaningfully extend brake life. Making Freightliner Cascadia’s case even stronger is its factory-installed MirrorCam System, which is a state-of-the-art camera technology designed to enhance driver visibility. The vehicle even has cameras mounted high above the doors to provide a wide field of view, cameras that are equipped with infrared technology and hydrophobic coatings for repelling water and other contaminants.
