Skip to main content

Ohio tests self driving truck

A self-driving truck developed by Otto has been travelling on two Ohio roads after state officials announced details of new investments to support innovative transportation technology, says Associated Press. The vehicle is travelling on a 35-mile stretch of US Route 33 and in central Ohio between Dublin and East Liberty, home to the Transportation Research Center, an independent testing facility. It travels in regular traffic, with a driver in the cab to intervene should problems arise. Officials say
December 1, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A self-driving truck developed by Otto has been travelling on two Ohio roads after state officials announced details of new investments to support innovative transportation technology, says Associated Press.

The vehicle is travelling on a 35-mile stretch of US Route 33 and in central Ohio between Dublin and East Liberty, home to the Transportation Research Center, an independent testing facility. It travels in regular traffic, with a driver in the cab to intervene should problems arise.

Officials say that section of Route 33, a four-lane, divided road, is an important piece of autonomous vehicle research in the state and will become a corridor where new technologies can be safely tested in real-life traffic, aided by a fibre-optic cable network and sensor systems slated for installation next year.

The self-driving truck is also expected to travel next week on part of the Ohio Turnpike.

The turnpike's executive director said in August that officials were moving toward allowing testing of self-driving vehicles on the 241-mile toll road, a heavily travelled connector between the East Coast and Chicago.

Related Content

  • Cycle safety device alerts truck drivers
    May 2, 2013
    An innovative cycle safety device designed to alert truck drivers to the presence of a cyclist is about to be launched. The Cycle Alert system not only alerts drivers to a potential risk in areas frequented by cyclists, it also facilitates a direct warning from a cyclist straight to the vehicle driver. The system has three elements: a unit that is fitted to the bicycle, or worn by a cyclist on their person or helmet, sensors that are fitted to the HGV and a cab-mounted device to alert the driver. The three
  • Volkswagen tests Level 4 AVs in Hamburg
    April 17, 2019
    Volkswagen Research is testing autonomous vehicles (AVs) at SAE Level 4 in real driving conditions in the German city of Hamburg. The announcement comes as the fall-out from VW’s ‘Dieselgate’ nightmare – when the company was found to have programmed turbocharged direct injection diesel engines to activate their emissions controls for laboratory tests - putters on. This week the company’s former chief executive Martin Winterkorn was charged with fraud for his involvement. But VW has admitted that the scan
  • A new era for England’s major roads
    March 26, 2015
    Highways England, the government-owned company which will deliver the largest investment in England’s major roads in a generation, officially launches next week. The company, which replaces the Highways Agency from 1 April, will invest US$16 billion in delivering a raft of improvements on England’s motorways and major A roads making roads even safer, improving traffic flow and reducing congestion. The improvements over the first five years of operation include: 112 major improvements, including 15 sma
  • NHTSA: Improve safety - but don't stifle innovation
    June 6, 2018
    Road safety is vital – but it must be possible to achieve it without stifling innovation. That was the central message from safety supremo Heidi King in her keynote speech at the official opening of ITS America’s 2018 annual meeting in Detroit. King, the deputy administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said that new technology must be embraced: “Vehicle automation is a central focus because of its life-saving potential.” She emphasised that NHTSA – part of the US Departmen