In this interview, Vivian sheds light on how DAF’s engineers and designers collaborate with drivers, DAF’s preferred choice of materials for upholstery, plus onboard toilet facilities, as well other design considerations like sound-proofing and seat positioning among things.
How drivers are part of the design process
To begin with, we quizzed Vivian on how DAF goes about designing its lorry cabs.
According Vivian, the design process begins by involving the drivers themselves.
“Selected drivers are invited to contribute to the design by doing interviews with them. Engineers and designers do drive-alongs on a typical working day, and most importantly, we have workshops and design reviews with them on new designs and innovations,” said the DAF representative.
During this co-creation process, drivers also have a say in what features they want or need in their cabins. “They are particularly helpful in defining priorities on items that seem contradicting,” Vivian noted. She added that it’s about making choices together to ensure that the final product aligns with the real-world needs of drivers.
“For instance, do you want a completely flat floor and 4 steps, or do you prefer a very small engine tunnel and only 3 steps? Instead of deciding for them, we decide with them in this co-creation process, so that we make the best choices.”
Photo: DAF Trucks press materials
Choosing materials
We also asked Vivian about what DAF considers when selecting what materials to use in its cabins, notably the upholstery.
When it comes to those materials, Vivian said DAF places an emphasis on quality and longevity. “Quality of materials is a property that has to stay good over time,” she emphasised. The DAF representative also explained that DAF uses darker materials for frequently touched items like controls and seats to maintain a fresh appearance. This, said Vivian, also helps with the resale value of a DAF truck.
To balance functionality with aesthetics, Vivian stressed that DAF is aiming to create a spacious and inviting atmosphere. This means that not everything can be coloured black:
“But making everything dark [in reference to the frequently touched items mentioned earlier] might also look gloomy when spending much time in there. We try to make it spacious with warm inviting colors and soft materials where it is possible, but dark and robust when it is needed,” said Vivian.
Additionally, Vivian said DAF offers cleanable wall trim material for heavy-duty applications.
Regarding sound proofing, the Dutch manufacturer has found that fabric walltrim material works best.
“The New Generation DAF is very silent when driving, and some of the solutions that contributed to this are the material of the walltrim. The mattress and curtains also had a positive sound deafening effect on the interior at standstill,” said Vivian.
Could European trucks have proper toilets onboard in the future?
There has been talk as to whether future European truck designs should incorporate proper toilets for drivers.
We asked Vivian about how much larger trucks would need to be to accomodate this, but the DAF representative was keen to address the matter tactfully – choosing instead to focus on the need for better roadside facilities:
“It is certainly true that personal hygiene facilities for male and female drivers are far below par in Europe, also because many parking facilities are filled up quickly and that they have to divert to less equipped places. Drivers like to have personal facilities for this, especially in middle of the night or in unsafe areas but often dislike to having this inside the cab because of smelly odours. If you leave out the fact that facilities behind the cab cannibalise on the loading capacity of a truck or combination, it is indeed a good idea – but still the best solution would be to increase facilities in Europe.”
Why DAF has question marks over the central driving position
Tesla recently turned heads with its central seating position in the cab of its Tesla Semi. Although it may look spacious in the photos, a number of truck bloggers quickly found drawbacks to this design approach – especially when it comes to driving in Europe.
What does DAF make of the concept of a central seating position then? We asked Vivian for DAF’s view on the idea of having a central seating position in the cab (note – not Tesla’s design in particular).
According to Vivian, the seating position defines good ergonomic driving comfort, how easy it is to get in and out, as well as how much visibility there is. She stressed that situations like overtaking, looking ahead on the motorway, and making eye-contact with other road-users are dictated by the seating position.
The DAF representative added:
“In a research study we studied alternative seating positions and validated these with drivers in virtual reality, and the feedback was that many prefer an offset driving position. When sitting close to the side of vehicle you have better overview when overtaking and looking ahead, it is easy to get in and out of the vehicle for multiple stops. You can see very well outside on the driver’s side, and with the help of our corner view, also very good to the co-driver’s side, so there are hardly any blind spots. I question if a central driving position delivers better on all of these aspects.”
What cabin improvements we could see in the future
With DAF only having recently released its latest generation of trucks, Vivian chuckled when we asked what further developments the manufacturer had in store.
However, she then went on to stress that the next big challenge designers will face is working around the different layouts presented by the switch to zero-emission trucks:
“Of course, designers never lack new ideas for improving the life of a truck driver and operator. The next big step for the industry will be about the energy transition, and also from an architectural layout perspective, this brings again many new challenges and opportunities to improve upon. So, it is exciting times nevertheless.”
Improvements to in-cab camera mirrors
One relatively recent technological addition to lorry cabs has been the introduction of in-cab flat-screen mirrors that use external cameras.
Although the cameras have a few detractors, they seem to be here to stay. Taking this into account, we sought to ask Vivian what kind of enhancements we might see here in the coming years.
Vivian told trans.iNFO that visual overlays and improved night visibility are possibilities:
“I see many possibilities for evolving this. One can think of improved digital resolution at day, night and/or in bad weather conditions. AI-assisted vision with focus on where it is needed, so-called situational vision and overlays of ADAS systems onto the camera vision. The challenge will be to do that safely and in an understandable manner for the driver.”
Closing the interview, we asked Vivian which particular design features DAF is most proud of. She listed three areas:
“First, their commitment to creating aerodynamic, fuel-efficient trucks that look premium. Second, their thoughtful cabin layout that caters to driving, working, sleeping, and resting without compromise. Finally, their groundbreaking achievements in direct and indirect vision, made possible through courage and support from senior management.”