52. Road Assistance for Commercial Vehicles

The chapter path guidance assistance for commercial vehicles looks at the differences between commercial vehicles and cars and highlights the specific requirements and solutions for commercial vehicles. The requirements concern both the driver and the technology. The requirements for commercial vehicles are considerably stronger than for cars. High mileages that significantly exceed 100,000 km per year and correspondingly high annual operating hours as well as heavy duty operation are the reason for this. The operating hours are recorded using tachographs which log the driver’s time at the wheel and rest periods to provide unbroken monitoring. Assistance and safety systems for commercial vehicles are also prescribed in addition to this device. The necessity of these systems is highlighted with the aid of accident scenarios. The chapter discusses lane departure warning (LDW) systems, automatic cruise control (ACC), and the advanced emergency braking system (AEBS). In addition to reliability and safety, fuel consumption is a key criterion for operating commercial vehicles. Consequently, efficient, anticipatory driving strategies have been developed whose function is explained in this chapter. The outlook highlights further developments, such as lane change assist systems, turning assist systems, and platooning.