Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/536679
For Safety's Sake By James Jaillet 14 // OWNER OPERATOR // JULY 2015 Cameras in place of rearview mirrors: Daimler asks DOT to allow it C iting it as a way to improve aerodynamics and gain more fl exibility in creating new technologies, Daimler Trucks North Amer- ica, parent company of Freightliner and Western Star, has petitioned the U.S. DOT's National Highway Traffi c Safety Adminis- tration asking it to allow camera-monitor systems as a compliance alternative to rear- view mirrors.Federal regulations currently require heavy-duty trucks to be equipped with rearview mirrors from the manufac- turer. But, Daimler argues in its petition, modern camera-based systems can do the job just as good as rearview mirrors if not better, and it'll allow truck makers to avoid the aerody- namic drag that comes with rearview mir- rors hanging off the side of the truck. And cameras would improve visibility, Daimler says. From its petition: "Camera systems can eliminate blind spots and fur- nish an unimpeded view in all directions, encompassing multiple lanes." Daimler said it hoped to not have to use rearview mirrors in the fi nished product of its SuperTruck concept vehicle, unveiled earlier this year. But to make the truck road legal — prior to NHTSA's review of its exemption petition — Freightliner had to equip the rig with a small mirror on each side. Here are photos of both the SuperTruck's rearview mirror setup and the one used in the Freightliner Inspiration, the company's recently revealed semi-autonomous truck: SuperTruck camera system Inspiration camera system