For my assesment today i was given a brand new actros. Was told that it has a cruise control system that knows where it is and will automaticaly accelerate/decelerate to the road speed and traffic in front. apparently it also knows where the rounderbouts are and will decelerate for you so all you have to do is make sure its clear.
It was suggested to me that i use this system rather than the old fastioned way of planning ahead and controling the lorry properly.
question is who here would trust the system enough to use it?
In my current new Actros it has the distance control etc. I’ve not noticed anything particular about it allowing automatically for roundabouts. It does pick up speed limit signs and adjust cruise accordingly though.
We have some of these atrocious abominations in our yard, complete with fully loaded electronic touch screen dog ■■■■ and no mirrors…
I’m just waiting for the day when an inexperienced driver who knows nothing else takes an older model out on the road instead …and rams some poor ■■■■ up the arse.
cooper1203:
It was suggested to me that i use this system rather than the old fastioned way of planning ahead and controling the lorry properly.
question is who here would trust the system enough to use it?
Me. I’d give it a go and when happy with it use it. Anything to make life easier. The lorries I drive have adaptive cruise control on which is fantastic in roadworks and built up traffic, you just set the cruise control and just let the truck control the speed and gap between you and the vehicle in front so no constantly speeding up and slowing down on the brakes etc, just sit there pointing the thing where it needs to go. Wish my car had it.
Never understood the attitude with some drivers wanting to make the job harder than it needs to be. I don’t know of anyone in any other field where they complain about stuff brought in to make their working lives easier and want to go backwards and do things the harder way.
cooper1203:
It was suggested to me that i use this system rather than the old fastioned way of planning ahead and controling the lorry properly.
question is who here would trust the system enough to use it?
Me. I’d give it a go and when happy with it use it. Anything to make life easier. The lorries I drive have adaptive cruise control on which is fantastic in roadworks and built up traffic, you just set the cruise control and just let the truck control the speed and gap between you and the vehicle in front so no constantly speeding up and slowing down on the brakes etc, just sit there pointing the thing where it needs to go. Wish my car had it.
Never understood the attitude with some drivers wanting to make the job harder than it needs to be. I don’t know of anyone in any other field where they complain about stuff brought in to make their working lives easier and want to go backwards and do things the harder way.
It’s hardly ‘The harder way’ driving the truck yourself instead of it driving you.
Everybody is different, call me a dinosaur, call me a luddite,.call me what tf you like, I just feel more comfortable being in full control and deciding things myself rather than the truck deciding for me.
And no… I don’t want to go back to 80s ERFs and the like, I just think things have gone too far that’s all,.and no arguing will make me feel any different.
I was talking to the boss the other day,.saying don’t give me one of those ■■■■ things, he went on to tell me how easy a blind side reverse was with a mirror cam, my reply was I don’t NEED a mirror cam, I can handle quite well a blind side reversing as it is thanks.
He just looked at me like I’d ■■■■■■ on his shoes.
I can just see soooo many issues with it, havung driven sprinters of varying ages (17 plate on) and the stupid ignoramous systems they have incorperated i can just see this is just more stuff to go wrong.
cooper1203:
I can just see soooo many issues with it, havung driven sprinters of varying ages (17 plate on) and the stupid ignoramous systems they have incorperated i can just see this is just more stuff to go wrong.
And when it seriously goes wrong who’s going to be liable, you don’t really need to answer that do you.
cooper1203:
For my assesment today i was given a brand new actros. Was told that it has a cruise control system that knows where it is and will automaticaly accelerate/decelerate to the road speed and traffic in front. apparently it also knows where the rounderbouts are and will decelerate for you so all you have to do is make sure its clear.
It was suggested to me that i use this system rather than the old fastioned way of planning ahead and controling the lorry properly.
question is who here would trust the system enough to use it?
Merc had to put all this electrickery gizmos on them to drive themselves because every time they ride over a pebble in the road the driver gets violently jolted out of the seat and lands upside down on the top bunk. It was the only way.
It’s called adaptive cruise control and works along side PPC or predictive power chain. Uses GPS to determine your location. It all ■■■■. Your best option is to go into the settings and turn all of the crap off. Be aware though every time you turn the ignition off then back on it all resets itself back to on. Craptros indeed.
I don’t mind the adaptive cruise control to be honest.
I’ve yet to get a mirrorless merc though, although I work for Tesco so only a matter of time until I get handed the keys to one. From what I have heard they are crap. Especially if there is a sun glare or something.
Sometimes I make use of cruise control other times I don’t. fortunately I don’t have anyone riding me about maximizing my mpg so its not really an issue for me.
cooper1203:
It was suggested to me that i use this system rather than the old fastioned way of planning ahead and controling the lorry properly.
question is who here would trust the system enough to use it?
Me. I’d give it a go and when happy with it use it. Anything to make life easier. The lorries I drive have adaptive cruise control on which is fantastic in roadworks and built up traffic, you just set the cruise control and just let the truck control the speed and gap between you and the vehicle in front so no constantly speeding up and slowing down on the brakes etc, just sit there pointing the thing where it needs to go. Wish my car had it.
Never understood the attitude with some drivers wanting to make the job harder than it needs to be. I don’t know of anyone in any other field where they complain about stuff brought in to make their working lives easier and want to go backwards and do things the harder way.
It’s hardly ‘The harder way’ driving the truck yourself instead of it driving you.
Everybody is different, call me a dinosaur, call me a luddite,.call me what tf you like, I just feel more comfortable being in full control and deciding things myself rather than the truck deciding for me.
And no… I don’t want to go back to 80s ERFs and the like, I just think things have gone too far that’s all,.and no arguing will make me feel any different.
I was talking to the boss the other day,.saying don’t give me one of those [zb] things, he went on to tell me how easy a blind side reverse was with a mirror cam, my reply was I don’t NEED a mirror cam, I can handle quite well a blind side reversing as it is thanks.
He just looked at me like I’d ■■■■■■ on his shoes.
Blindside reverse is indeed very easy with the mirror cam. Normal reverse is hard af though. As soon as you hit reverse both mirrors go wide angle so in some cases you think you’re straight only to stick your head out the window and realise you’re all over the place
the maoster:
^^^ that’s very near the truth. If ever the moniker “Hitlers revenge “ applied to a vehicle it’s any post 2012 Merc.
I drive a 2012 Axor and the suspension is heaven on them compared to the euro 6 actros which came in 2014 (I think) and superseded it.
They’ve got the small cab actros at work which I drive occasionally to go into London and it throws you around like a rag doll, especially with no trailer attached.
As for the cruise control, it’s bad enough getting the window wipers to work properly via the rain sensor so I wouldn’t put faith in something that is supposed to control my speed.
You could use it. But if you do before you know it your be doing about 50mph.
As your catch up to someone doing say 53 your slow down they slow down before you know it your doing about 50 and don’t realise it
To be honest adaptive cruise control on daf I used to drive worked fine. But I’d never 100% trust any technology. Is if you do and.rely.on it to much you become complacent and it’s how accidents happen
I’ve got one of these new Actros, and although all the hi-tech stuff is quite clever in how it works, and from a safety point of view are good, however in the real world of everyday driving it has it’s drawbacks. Approaching a roundabout for example with all tech enabled (default is on) in some cases it starts to slow really early and seems to pick up speed again rather lethargically, other times for example going downhill on the A500 Queensway towards the roundabout for the A519 at Jct15 it brakes too late and too hard! The “best bit” is if the truck is about to tackle a long steep decent for example on the 66 at Stainmore heading west, leaving the truck to it’s own devices the systems slows you down quite harshly IMO as it’s about to hit the downward gradient using service brakes to slow down to under 40mph! (It’s very rude and abrupt doing this!) while at the same time dropping two gears with exhauster engaged, high revs and lots of noise! ( I am aware the exhaust brake is most effective at high rpm) more service braking keeping the speed low 40s and remaining in 10th gear. All great this if you are just moseying along and nobody following you ( I wouldn’t like to be ) and if your not particularly in a hurry! As for the mirror cam system, it has it’s good points and really bad ones. Yes it gives good coverage of blind spots and a wider field of view behind you, but it has serious drawbacks especially driving at night which are compounded when it rains and definitely no improvement over ordinary mirrors in this respect.
What is hard about judging the road ahead, it should be second nature.
It’s getting like the manufacturers are saying we’ll build so much tech into them a moron can drive them - all these decisions taken away will result in a disengagement from the process and the corresponding desire to faff about on mobile phones and other devices will increase - and usually ends badly.
Hard on the brakes which I don’t like. I’ve let the ACC run as I’m approaching slow traffic with my foot hovering the brake pedal and it brakes so much later than I would for the situation. A great deal of the time, I’ll just knock CC off and coast as far as I can before braking but the Actros on ACC brakes hard and late.
The ride is appalling, it’s the worst out there bar none. The smaller engined ones are embarrassing to drive because they’re so slow. I also despise the auto-braking system that assumes I’m about to hit something when I know I’m not and jams the brakes on for me.
Socketset:
What is hard about judging the road ahead, it should be second nature.
It’s getting like the manufacturers are saying we’ll build so much tech into them a moron can drive them - all these decisions taken away will result in a disengagement from the process and the corresponding desire to faff about on mobile phones and other devices will increase - and usually ends badly.
It’s all part of each implementation towards self. Driving vehicles where we will eventually be just a passenger and only there to intervene if I a problems rises with the tech. It will happen eventually there is no getting away from it. As to when it might actually become a full reality is anyone’s guess. Sadly a machine does a better job than a human in almost every person replaced with a machine.
The end is nigh. We will be assimilated. [emoji23]
