ZF Friedrichshafen AG has been honoured with the prestigious ‘ETM Award – Best of New Transportation 2026’, securing the top position in the Safety category in this year’s reader poll conducted by leading German commercial vehicle publications eurotransport.de, trans aktuell, and FERNFAHRER.
The recognition highlights the technology group’s strong reputation for innovation and its significant contribution to enhancing safety in road freight transportation. The award reflects the confidence and endorsement of commercial vehicle manufacturers, fleet operators, and professional drivers, who recognised ZF’s advanced safety technologies and solutions aimed at improving efficiency, reliability, and accident prevention across the transport industry.
The ETM Publishing’s “Best of New Transportation” reader poll is widely regarded within the commercial vehicle industry as a reliable indicator of how companies and their products are perceived. In the 2026 edition of the survey, ZF achieved the top ranking in the category “Safety – Innovative Concepts.” The award recognized ZF’s advanced OnGuardMAX driver assistance system for commercial vehicles, which readers associated with a high level of innovation and potential to improve road safety.
OnGuardMAX warns of potential collisions with moving or stationary obstacles, pedestrians and cyclists in the path of the vehicle as well as along its sides. If the driver does not respond, the system automatically initiates full emergency braking. In addition, OnGuardMAX includes adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality for congested traffic and a lane-keeping function for highway driving. The system supports automated driving up to Level 2 and is designed to enable higher levels of automation. As a result, it enables vehicle manufacturers to not only meet current safety requirements but exceed them.
“The strong endorsement from readers, reflected in the number‑one ranking we received for safety innovation, is a great source of pride for us,” said Martin Mayer, responsible for ADAS systems in ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division, at the award ceremony on June 11, 2026, in Stuttgart. “The voters include not only manufacturers and fleet operators but, importantly, professional drivers. Their vote confirms that we are setting the right priorities in our product development. Going forward, we will continue to apply our system expertise to make the logistics industry even more efficient, comfortable and safer. A central element of our work will focus on the interaction between tractor and trailer, along with the continued development of integrated safety systems for the entire vehicle combination.”
