Manufacturers Move Forward with Autonomous Trucking Technology
Equipment manufacturers and fleets are deploying and testing autonomous Class 8 technology, moving the trucking industry closer to high-volume production and deployment of fully autonomous driverless solutions.
鈥淲e are at the forefront of a new way to transport goods, complementing and enhancing transportation capacity, and thereby enabling trade and societal growth,鈥� said Nils Jaeger, president of .
Shawn Kerrigan, chief operating officer and co-founder at , said the industry is moving from initial demonstrations to more extensive pilots. 鈥淲e鈥檙e currently engaged in fleet trials that span the whole spectrum of autonomy,鈥� he said while speaking during the IAA Transportation conference in Hanover, Germany.
Autonomous Truck Technology
Autonomous trucks use a combination of hardware, including sensors, cameras, radar and lidar, and software that allows the vehicles to operate without human intervention. Advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms process incoming data to make real-time decisions, such as lane changes, speed adjustments and obstacle avoidance.
There are varying levels of autonomous technology being used today, from Level 1 driver-assist solutions to Level 4 automation that does not need driver intervention on predetermined routes and Level 5 automation that is completely driverless.
The initial use cases for Level 4 automation are on repetitive routes due to the high-definition mapping needed, and autonomous trucks are expected to use a hub-to-hub model where there will be a transfer station near the interstate highway systems.
鈥淚 think the last mile, as we say, the inner city, is going to be a while because there are too many unknowns鈥攖oo many bikes and dogs and pedestrians,鈥� said Peter Matthiesen, head of group innovation and truck technology at DSV A/S and a speaker at . 鈥淭he hub-to-hub use case is really interesting for us where we can drive the same route every day in the ideal circumstances.鈥�
As a result, companies that have traditionally hauled over-the-road shipments may instead focus on the first and final miles, which could change fleets鈥� networks.
Real-World Use Case
Self-driving autonomous trucks aren鈥檛 just a futuristic technology. They are on the road today. Plus鈥檚 SuperDrive Level 4 self-driving software聽is already being tested and validated on public roads in Europe and the U.S. and will be ready for driverless operations next year.聽Plus is working with three commercial vehicle manufacturers.
has hauled over 7,000 loads for pilot customers across nearly 2 million commercial miles using Level 4 automation. Partners include FedEx, Uber Freight, Schneider, Werner and Hirschbach. The company has focused on routes between major hubs, such as Dallas and Houston and Fort Worth and El Paso.
Aurora plans to extend its Fort Worth to El Paso lane by opening operations to Phoenix. Commercial pilots will be starting the first half of 2025 and the company intends to go driverless later in the year. The 1,000-mile passage takes over 15 hours to complete, which the company said makes it compelling for autonomy.
Last year, Volvo Autonomous Solutions unveiled Volvo’s first-ever production-ready autonomous truck, which uses technology from Aurora Innovation. “This truck is the first of our standardized global autonomous technology platform, which will enable us to introduce additional models in the future, bringing autonomy to all Volvo Group truck brands and to other geographies and use cases,鈥� Jaeger said.
Sasko Cuklev, head of on-road solutions at Volvo Autonomous Solutions, said Volvo is prepared to produce the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck at the pace and scale that the industry demands.
also has trucks on the road and has worked with several fleets to deploy its autonomous technology. Currently the company is operating Houston-Dallas and Houston-Oklahoma City routes, and it has partnered with Ryder System Inc. to leverage Ryder鈥檚 service network to help commercialize and scale its technology. Their first truckport is located in Houston inside a fleet maintenance facility and serves as a base to conduct testing and to validate the truckport operational model.
Additionally, , an independent subsidiary of鈥疍aimler Truck AG鈥痑nd manufacturer of self-driving vehicle technology, has said it has been validating the company鈥檚 driverless autonomous truck in a multi-lane closed course at speeds up to 65 mph. Torc plans to scale and commercialize autonomous trucking solutions by 2027.
鈥淎rtificial intelligence has undoubtedly been the biggest buzzword of the year, but real-world uses are few and far between. Autonomous trucking is one of the most concrete applications for AI that can drive demonstrated revenue, business value and industry transformation鈥�,鈥� said CJ King, chief technology officer for Torc.
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