Daimler has applauded the Federal Government’s announcement that it will make Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS) for mandatory on trucks and buses over 3.5-tonne GVM but the manufacturer has made a statement encouraging customers to act now.
The government announced that from 1 November next year (2023) AEBS and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems must be installed for all new models of heavy vehicles and that the systems must be installed in new buses already in operating on Australian roads by 1 November 2024, and in new goods vehicles over 3.5 tonnes from 1 February 2025.
“Daimler Truck has long identified the major benefits of active safety features for our customers and the wider community and led the industry with its introduction across all classes with our Mercedes-Benz, Fuso and Freightliner models,” said Daimler Truck and Bus Australia Pacific president and CEO, Daniel Whitehead.
“We commend the move to mandate this critical technology, but also would encourage customers not to wait until then and instead demand AEBS on any truck or bus they buy from now on,” Whitehead added.
Daimler explains that AEBS helps to avoid or mitigate collisions with other vehicles by using sensors to monitor the road ahead and perform emergency braking in the event the driver does not, an d that its systems can initiate a warning and brake when it detects moving pedestrians.
The company points out that Mercedes-Benz first introduced AEBS on the Actros heavy truck in 2010, while the Freightliner Cascadia was the first conventional truck to feature AEBS from 2019. Fuso become the first manufacturer to feature AEBS across light, medium and heavy-duty truck classes last year.
“It makes no sense to buy an electric truck with no active safety features when they are available on another model, even if you overlook all the other benefits of the eCanter,”Daniel Whitehead said.
