The influence of motion and steering-system model complexity on truck steering

Motion and steering feel contribute to the drivers perception and assessment of vehicle behaviour. Steer-by-wire systems offer the freedom to alter the steering feel characteristics. It is unknown whether the mechanical complexity and non-linearity in mechanical steering systems contribute to the performance and awareness of drivers. This study investigates the influence of driving simulator motion and steering-system model complexity on drivers’ performance and subjective assessment of on-centre handling in a heavy goods vehicle. 32 subjects (12 professional truck drivers and 20 university participants) completed a total of eight short experimental highway rides including merging, while the simulator’s motion system was either turned on or off and the steering system model either resembled a linear or a realistic nonlinear behaviour. The results show that a linear steering system is preferred by the drivers and no performance degradation occurs with the linear system, indicating that for future truck steering systems, a linear haptic feedback may be considered. The presence of motion did not significantly alter this result.