Daimler Trucks have launched the testing of highly automated heavy-duty trucks on
Virginia highways. The process is being carried out in partnership with its subsidiary Torc
Robotics, according to the companies. The announcement came shortly after Daimler made an
agreement to acquire a majority stake in Torc, and closed the deal in late August. Daimler stated
that they would have a trained driver and an engineer on board in order to have the trucks tested
on the highways near Blacksburg.

The two companies are working with the aim of achieving a state where the trucks would
not need a driver to neither monitor the road nor apply any input under certain conditions in
some specific areas. According to Daimler, the goal is to have the technology ready within ten
years to reduce accidents, improve freight efficiency, and take fatigue and stress off of drivers.
The test trucks will be Freightliner Cascadia models with Torc's self-driving software installed
with an array of lidar sensors, cameras, and radar to sense the surrounding of the vehicle. There
will be added weight pulled by the trucks to simulate load.

In a CES technology show in January, Daimler announced that they would invest $570
million to make the level 4 self-driving trucks a reality. The CEO of Torc, Michael Fleming, said
that the fact that Torc is a part of Daimler is a whole new chapter. He added that they were
thrilled to work alongside Daimler, and the developers will be down to business to merge the
technologies of the two companies.

Roger Nielsen, Daimler CEO, claimed that they are happy to be writing history alongside
Torc in their adventures towards achieving self-driving trucks. Daimler Trucks North America is
focused towards being able to develop truck chassis that support automation of driving with the inclusion of ensuring safety and reliability. The manufacturer is also working on the infrastructure that would allow for testing of the applications.

As Daimler continues with the pursuit for automated level 4 automated driving, they
currently have level 2 technology with both lateral and longitudinal control automated though a
driver must still be fully engaged. Active lane assist will be ready by 2020.