Freightliner Upgrades Cascadia Safety Technology Suite

Upgrades include Cross Traffic Assist and Active Side Guard Assist 2. (Daimler Truck North America)

Daimler Truck North America will expand the safety technology available on its Freightliner Cascadia Class 8 tractors beginning next year, the truck manufacturer announced.

The upgrades to the truck’s Detroit Assurance safety software include Cross Traffic Assist and Active Side Guard Assist 2, each of which can initiate partial or full braking assistance for drivers, the manufacturer said in a news release.

Cross Traffic Assist is designed to help detect vehicles crossing the forward path of the truck at intersections. It uses radar inputs to monitor movement and initially provides visual and audible warnings when a possible collision risk is identified.

If the system is configured to do so, a driver can be supported by the assistance of partial or full braking to help mitigate or reduce the severity of a collision, DTNA said.

Active Side Guard Assist 2 with left turn protection expands the Cascadia’s side guard functionality, which focuses on pedestrians and cyclists. With the update, when the left turn signal is engaged, it will monitor the vehicle’s intended path for oncoming traffic. If a hazard is detected, the system issues visual and audible alerts and if configured to do so will apply partial or full braking before the vehicle enters the collision zone.

“Safety at Freightliner has consistently been shaped by customer needs, and by embracing a holistic, long-term perspective,” said Joanna Buttler, DTNA general manager for product strategy and market development. “Each enhancement to the Detroit Assurance suite of safety systems reflects careful decisions about where added capability can make a meaningful difference for fleets and drivers.”

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All four fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia configurations. (Daimler Truck North America)

Detroit Assurance with Active Brake Assist 6 is installed as standard on fifth-generation Cascadias. Detroit Assurance with ABA 6 includes four short-range radar units, one long-range radar unit and a multipurpose camera integrated together for 270-degree monitoring around the truck and up to a standard 53-foot trailer.

Orders for trucks with the latest upgrades are scheduled to open in the third quarter of 2026, with production starting in January 2027.

Freightliner launched the fifth-generation Cascadia in October 2024. The order book for the truck opened in April 2025 and the order book opened for Cascadias with a Cummins X15N engine under the hood later that month.

In February, Detroit unveiled its Gen 6 portfolio of engines for Freightliner and Western Star — the 13-liter DD13, 15-liter DD15 and 16-liter DD16 engines.

Detroit, Freightliner and Western Star are all DTNA subsidiaries.