Say goodbye to 'dangerous' situations—do you have these safety features?

Truck drivers have always been considered to work in a high-risk industry. Trucks are large, heavily loaded, and have many blind spots, making traffic accidents easy to occur with even a small lapse in attention. This is especially true for truck drivers who frequently run long-haul routes and pursue high efficiency. On highways, they drive at high speeds for long periods, which significantly increases the likelihood of fatigue driving. If a truck weighing tens of tons collides with another vehicle at high speed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Against this backdrop, the emergence of various active safety driving assistance systems can be said to further reduce the likelihood of traffic accidents, while also greatly ensuring the safety of truck drivers on the road. So at present, what are the mainstream safety features on heavy trucks? Next, let's take a good look at them. 

▎Braking System Safer and more effective brakes

For truck drivers, the quality of the braking system and the vehicle stability system directly affects vehicle safety. Even a slight mistake can lead to skidding, rollover, or even a failure to stop. In terms of braking systems, the commonly seen ones are ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), EBS (Electronic Braking System), and EBD (Electronic Brake-force Distribution). So, what are the differences between these systems, and what roles do they play?
 

ABS Anti-lock Braking System: Currently, commercial vehicles ranging from mini trucks, light trucks, to medium and heavy trucks, as well as tractor units, are required by relevant regulations to be equipped with ABS anti-lock braking systems. The ABS device mainly consists of wheel speed sensors, engine speed sensors, brake pressure regulators, solenoid valves, and the ABS electronic control unit (ECU), among other components.

During normal braking, although the ABS does not engage, the entire system is constantly monitoring the wheel speed sensor signals to determine whether it needs to activate the anti-lock braking mode. When the driver brakes suddenly and any wheel is close to locking, the brake pressure modulator in the ABS system will continuously adjust the brake pressure in that wheel’s brake chamber according to the commands from the electronic control unit (ECU). As a result, you may feel the brake pedal pulsating upward. 

By continuously adjusting the air pressure to maintain the optimal pressure, the system effectively prevents the wheels from locking, allowing them to maintain continuous rolling friction with the road surface. While the ABS system improves tire grip on the road and shortens braking distance, the driver is still able to control the vehicle’s direction and change its path smoothly.

EBS Electronic Braking System: EBS not only includes all the functions of the original ABS, but also adds a series of electronic control modules to replace the mechanical transmission-controlled braking system. Simply put, it uses electricity to control the air needed for vehicle braking. This not only improves operational efficiency but also allows for additional functions to be developed, such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC or ESP), Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD), Roll Stability Control (RSC), Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR), Hill Start Assist (HSA), and more. 

The EBS system mainly consists of components such as the central ECU, brake signal transmitter, front axle module, trailer control valve, and rear axle pressure backup valve. Therefore, this system is not just about improving braking performance; it can be considered a complete modular platform capable of supporting a wide range of additional features.

Compared to ABS, the EBS electronically controlled air brake has a faster and more responsive braking response and pressure buildup, with almost no delay during this process. This can significantly improve braking performance and shorten braking distance. At the same time, when both the tractor and the trailer are equipped with EBS, they can achieve better consistency and braking balance, reducing instances of jackknifing. In addition, other auxiliary functions derived from the EBS electronic braking system can effectively prevent situations such as vehicle rollover or slipping, further enhancing driving safety. 

▎Improve Driving Stability and Reduce Skidding

In addition to having an excellent braking system, active safety control systems that ensure stable handling are also indispensable. For example, the ESC electronic stability control system, ASR traction control system, and TPMS tire pressure monitoring system—what roles do they play?

ESC Electronic Stability Control System: The ESC system is mainly composed of three parts: sensors, an electronic control unit (ECU), and actuators. The ECU monitors the vehicle's operating status, and if it detects situations such as skidding or slipping, it intervenes to control the vehicle's longitudinal and lateral stability, applying braking to the corresponding wheels to achieve steering stability and prevent rollover.

The main advantage of the EBS electronic braking system is its rapid and precise response, which can effectively improve braking performance, shorten braking distance, and enable various additional functions. In contrast, ESC enhances vehicle handling and cornering stability. When these two electronic systems, ESC and EBS, are combined, they can monitor the vehicle's operating status in real time, achieving stronger braking efficiency while effectively preventing excessive vehicle steering that could lead to rollover, and avoiding loss of control at the vehicle's dynamic limits. 

A common example is during an emergency stop on a slippery road while steering to avoid an obstacle ahead. The EBS can adjust the braking pressure on each wheel in real time, ensuring the vehicle achieves efficient braking performance. At the same time, when the ESC system engages, it uses sensors to selectively apply braking force to specific wheels, keeping the vehicle within controllable limits. In this situation, even if the driver steers sharply, the vehicle is unlikely to roll over.

ASR-Driven Anti-Slip System: Many heavy trucks may experience driver wheel slippage when driving on harsh mountain roads, slippery muddy roads, or unpaved surfaces, which is especially noticeable for high-powered vehicles during startup or acceleration. The ASR system can calculate the slip rate of the drive wheels through wheel speed sensors and the ECU to reduce driving force, thereby preventing the driving force from exceeding the tire-road adhesion and avoiding wheel spin, thus maintaining vehicle directional stability and starting capability.

The ASR system mainly focuses on controlling wheel slip of the drive wheels to achieve anti-slip traction, allowing the vehicle to maintain a certain level of off-road recovery ability under harsh conditions.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System: Proper and normal tire pressure not only ensures driving safety, but also provides comfort, fuel efficiency, and prolongs tire life. Currently, the more common tire pressure monitoring system involves installing electronic pressure sensors in each tire. By recording pressure data, it monitors various conditions of the tires in real time, accurately pinpointing any faulty tire. 

Nowadays, more and more high-end mainstream heavy trucks are equipped with this feature. Everyone knows the critical role tires play in driving safety. If a vehicle experiences a blowout at high speed, even a slight misoperation by the driver could lead to disastrous consequences.

▎ Assisted Driving: Enhancing Comfort and Safety

With an efficient braking system and an excellent vehicle stability system in place, what technologies do high-end heavy trucks use in terms of intelligent assisted driving? How can they provide driving security for truck drivers?

ACC Adaptive Cruise Control System: The ACC system mainly consists of radar sensors, digital signal processors, and control modules, among other hardware and software. It is a function developed based on the EBS electronic braking system. Simply put, it is a high-end version of cruise control, but smarter.

The millimeter-wave radar on the vehicle is mainly used to detect and identify vehicles ahead. By emitting radar waves, it calculates the distance and speed between the vehicle and the vehicle in front, and then sends this information back to the ECU system. Upon receiving this data, the EBS electronic control system issues commands to control braking. In addition, the front camera of the vehicle has extensive recognition capabilities and works in conjunction with the millimeter-wave radar to achieve better assistance.
 

Compared to ordinary cruise systems, the ACC system is much smarter. When using this system, you only need to set the distance or speed relative to the vehicle in front, and then focus on steering. The system will automatically adjust your car's speed according to the speed of the vehicle ahead, without exceeding the preset cruise speed. When the vehicle in front moves away, the system will return your car to the preset cruise speed. 

In the current driving situation, if the adaptive cruise system cannot achieve a sufficient deceleration, it will automatically alert the driver. At this point, the driver can take over the vehicle to apply strong braking or perform other evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

AEBS Automatic Emergency Braking Control System: We can completely consider this system as an extension of the collision warning system, or as a functional expansion of ACC adaptive cruise control. It is implemented through ultrasonic sensors, millimeter-wave radar, LiDAR, and cameras. When the sensors detect an obstacle ahead, the ECU combines the returned data and calculates the probability of a collision using algorithms, then performs deceleration and braking through the EBS system. 

Unlike the collision warning system, the AEBS system actively intervenes in braking. It’s important to understand that when a collision is imminent, the reaction time available to the driver is actually very limited. If the collision warning alerts the driver but no braking action is taken, the AEBS system will actively intervene and automatically apply the brakes to prevent the collision.

In addition, at this year's Hanover Motor Show, Mercedes-Benz trucks showcased PPC (Predictive Powertrain Control), ABA 5 (5th generation Active Brake Assist), Sideguard Assist S1X (side collision prevention system), ADA 2 (2nd generation Active Driving Assistance), and other driver assistance features that can further enhance everyday driving safety for truck drivers.

● Editor's Note:

With the continuous iteration and updating of commercial vehicle technology, various active safety driving assistance systems have begun to become standard in high-end domestic heavy trucks. Through these advanced technologies, not only can unknown safety risks be predicted in advance and drivers warned, but in emergencies, active intervention can even occur to ensure the driver’s life safety.

Of course, as a service station technician mentioned before, even if your main truck is equipped at the highest level, if the trailer is old and worn out and cannot keep up with the main truck, many functions cannot be fully utilized and may even cause issues with matching the tractor and trailer, affecting driving safety.

Although these technological features can improve driving safety, the steering wheel and accelerator are always in the driver’s hands, and safe driving remains an unchanging priority. Fellow truck drivers, what high-end features does your truck have? Feel free to share in the comments section.