European truck industry gears up for platooning by 2023

Europe’s truck manufacturers have revealed a detailed timeline of steps leading up to the introduction of convoys of semi-automated trucks on Europe’s motorways before 2025, with the publication of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) report EU Roadmap for Truck Platooning. This also provides guidance to policy makers and authorities on the regulatory changes and political support necessary for cross-border truck platooning. Truck platooning is the linking of two or more trucks in convo
May 19, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Europe’s truck manufacturers have revealed a detailed timeline of steps leading up to the introduction of convoys of semi-automated trucks on Europe’s motorways before 2025, with the publication of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (6175 ACEA) report EU Roadmap for Truck Platooning. This also provides guidance to policy makers and authorities on the regulatory changes and political support necessary for cross-border truck platooning.


Truck platooning is the linking of two or more trucks in convoy, using state-of-the-art connectivity technology and driving support systems. The truck at the head of the platoon acts as the leader, with the vehicles behind reacting and adapting to changes in its movement, requiring little or no action from drivers. The first real-life tests with truck platooning are already underway.

The roadmap provides an overview of the steps that are necessary to implement multi-brand platooning by 2023.

While manufacturers are already exploring the business case for truck platooning with the logistics sector, ACEA says certain conditions need to be met before 2023 are beyond the control of the truck industry, including strengthening cooperation between all stakeholders and policy-makers in particular.

At the same time, it will be imperative to get political support for promoting the wide-spread introduction of platooning. Governments should, for example, introduce incentives, such as toll and tax reductions, CO2 bonuses or flexibility in driving time, to stimulate the market uptake of truck platooning.

Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • IBTTA Summit: satellite tolling is the future
    August 15, 2019
    IBTTA members met in Florida to consider the technological changes that will impact their businesses – including satellite tolling. Colin Sowman reports from Orlando Over decades, the technology employed in toll collection has been honed to near perfection – automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are easily within a couple of per cent of infallibility even at highway speeds. However, technical innovations beyond the confines of the toll road cannot b
    Read More
  • Truck digitisation and tech developments in freight ‘will boost Europe’s CV telematics market’
    January 11, 2017
    According to research by Frost & Sullivan, growth opportunities are strengthening in the commercial vehicle (CV) telematics market in Europe with the imminent arrival of value-added services such as video-based safety solutions, mobile base on-demand freight exchange platforms, and field service management solutions. While penetration of fleet management services (FMS) in large and medium fleets is relatively high, addressing challenges such as awareness, adequate training, and better business cases are key
    Read More
  • FOTsis targets ‘socially inclusive’ cooperative ITS
    December 5, 2013
    The FOTsis project addresses the imbalances between the vehicular and infrastructure sides of cooperative ITS infrastructures and looks to ensure road operators can help to enrich future technology applications. By Jason Barnes. Several developments have conspired to push the vehicular side of cooperative infrastructures/cooperative ITS to the fore in recent years. The automotive industry’s rather shorter product development and lifecycles combined with economic slowdown in many regions gave rise to the not
    Read More
  • Mileage based charging offers secure future for funding
    August 10, 2016
    HNTB’s Matthew Click sets out why a move to mileage-based pricing is inevitable. Infrastructure is the most neglected yet the most critical engine of our society, and our continued indifference could lead to a dystopian future. Our roads, bridges and highways have been largely passed by in the digital age—marginalised in an era when funding is limited and stewardship of physical assets has given way to our preoccupation with technological innovation and data—the stuff of the virtual realm.
    Read More

Highlighted Content