Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are gaining traction across commercial vehicle segments, but speakers at the Green Truck Summit said broader adoption in multi-stage and vocational platforms will depend on closer coordination among OEMs, upfitters and fleets.

Panelists said ADAS is already established in some on-highway applications, where fleets have seen safety and cost benefits. But integration becomes more complicated in medium-duty, vocational and multi-stage vehicles, where body builders and equipment installers can affect the performance of cameras, radar units and other sensors.

Joanna Buttler, general manager of marketing and strategy at Daimler Truck North America, said adoption has been strongest in the on-highway Class 8 segment, particularly for systems designed to mitigate collisions. Fleets see value in those features through improved safety, fewer accidents and lower ownership costs.

Progress has been slower in vocational and multi-stage applications, where equipment added after the truck leaves the factory can interfere with sensors and cameras. In those cases, panelists said, success depends on early planning and clear communication across the supply chain.

Buttler said the main objective is preventing collisions, protecting drivers and safeguarding equipment. To achieve that, fleets, OEMs and upfitters need to clearly define how vehicles will be used and which technologies fit the application.

Vehicles less standardized

John Harris, CEO and co-founder of Harbinger Motors, said commercial vehicle ADAS development is progressing more slowly than in passenger vehicles because trucks are less standardized. Passenger car technology has gradually moved into lighter commercial classes, but that transfer becomes more difficult as vehicles become heavier and more specialized.

In the Classes 5 and 6 range, he said, manufacturers face lower production volumes and a wide range of body types and operating environments. That makes it harder to spread development costs and engineer systems that work across multiple applications.

Harris said medium-duty ADAS adoption is moving far more slowly than in other parts of the automotive sector, leaving a gap in driver safety that the industry still needs to address.

Safety is primary motivation

Despite those challenges, panelists agreed the business case for ADAS is strengthening. Safety remains the primary motivation, but repair costs, insurance exposure, litigation risk and downtime are also pushing fleets toward the technology.

Buttler said fleets are increasingly aware of the financial consequences of crashes involving heavy vehicles, including nuclear verdicts. In addition to preventing incidents, onboard systems can provide camera footage and vehicle data that help explain what happened during a crash.

That information can help determine fault and reduce disputes following collisions.

Collision prevention

Harris said the economics of collision prevention are particularly clear in fleet operations, where companies can analyze incident rates across large numbers of vehicles. Minor collisions and more serious crashes can be assigned measurable costs, making it easier to evaluate the return on safety systems.

Lower levels of automation, including Level 1 and Level 2 driver assistance systems, can deliver significant value in fleet settings because even small incidents accumulate costs when vehicles operate high annual mileage.

Brock Wienczewski, head of conversions, personalization and the commercial vehicle team at Ram Professional, said customers increasingly expect safety-related features to be available as the technology becomes familiar in passenger vehicles.

He added some features that were once optional are now widely expected. At the same time, fleets want flexibility and may not require the same combination of systems on every truck or job.

Panelists said one of the biggest challenges is ensuring systems continue to function correctly once a truck is upfitted. Cameras, ultrasonic sensors and radar units can all be affected by body installations, front-end accessories or altered ride heights.

Damaged cables disrupt functionality

Harris said camera systems illustrate the issue. A 360-degree camera setup may require several cameras connected by long wiring harnesses routed around the vehicle. If those cables are damaged or installed incorrectly during upfitting, the system may not function properly.

He added the industry should treat current camera challenges as a learning experience because newer sensors will likely be even more sensitive to installation errors.

Wienczewski said front-end modifications are another common problem. Brush guards, racks, bumper changes, larger tires and suspension modifications can obstruct or alter the field of view of cameras and radar units used by features such as adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking.

Sensor positioning

Proper sensor positioning is essential, he said, because systems must accurately detect obstacles to function as intended.

To address these challenges, manufacturers are providing more guidance to body builders and equipment installers. That includes installation instructions, relocation kits, harness extensions and technical information showing sensor placement and fields of view.

Buttler said that level of support is necessary because sensors moved from their original positions may not perform the same way they did when installed at the factory. Even partial obstructions can affect performance.

She said communication throughout the vehicle development and upfitting process is critical to ensure systems operate as intended.

Electrical architecture

The panel also discussed how electrical architectures and software-defined vehicles could influence the next generation of safety systems. Wienczewski said newer vehicle architectures help integrate advanced technology but also introduce cybersecurity protections that can complicate how upfitters connect equipment to trucks.

Harris said over-the-air software updates may deliver the most immediate benefit by allowing manufacturers to update vehicle systems without requiring service visits. Buttler added that software-based development could allow faster improvements, provided the technology simplifies operations rather than adding complexity.

Panelists said uncertainty around regulations, electrification and automation will continue shaping the market. Manufacturers are working to build platforms flexible enough to support evolving propulsion technologies and safety systems without lengthy development cycles.

For now, the panel concluded that ADAS adoption will continue expanding, but progress in vocational and multi-stage vehicles will rely heavily on engineering coordination, customer feedback and stronger collaboration across the commercial vehicle industry.