Skip to main content

Singapore to start truck platooning trials

Driverless trucks are set to be trialled on the streets of Singapore under an agreement between the country’s Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) and PSA Corporation and automotive companies Scania and Toyota Tsusho. The two companies will design, develop and test an autonomous truck platooning system for use on Singapore's public roads. The platoon will use public roads while transporting containers between port terminals in Singapore. The aim is to organise convoys of four trucks, with three au
January 10, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Driverless trucks are set to be trialled on the streets of Singapore under an agreement between the country’s Singapore’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) and PSA Corporation and automotive companies 570 Scania and 1686 Toyota Tsusho.

The two companies will design, develop and test an autonomous truck platooning system for use on Singapore's public roads.

The platoon will use public roads while transporting containers between port terminals in Singapore. The aim is to organise convoys of four trucks, with three autonomously-driven trucks behind the lead truck, as well as to fully automate the processes for precise docking and undocking of cargo.

With vehicles in Singapore approaching one million, the initiative seeks to address the increasing travel demand and land constraints; 12 percent of Singapore’s total land is used for road and land transport infrastructure. Additionally, it faces a shortage of drivers.

It has therefore established Singapore as a “living laboratory” for new vehicle concepts that will increase productivity, road safety, optimise road capacity and enable new mobility concepts.

The truck platooning trials will take place in two phases. The first phase will focus on designing, testing and refining the truck platooning technology to adapt to local conditions. These will be conducted by Scania and Toyota at their respective research centres in Sweden and Japan, to leverage their existing development work. The second phase will consist of local trials and development of the technology in Singapore.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Self-driving taxis take to the road in Singapore
    August 26, 2016
    US self-driving car software developer nuTonomy has launched a public trial of a self-driving taxi service in Singapore’s one-north business district, a 2.5 square mile business district, where the company has been conducting daily autonomous vehicle (AV) testing since April. nuTonomy’s cars, a Renault Zoe or Mitsubishi i-MiEV specially configured for autonomous driving, will have an engineer from nuTonomy in the vehicle to observe system performance and assume control if needed to ensure passenger comfo
  • AECOM-led consortium secures funding for CAV pilot scheme
    April 13, 2017
    An AECOM-led consortium has secured more than US$5.2 million (£4.2 million) of funding from Innovate UK and the Centre for Connected & Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) to deliver a pilot scheme that could pave the way for the use of connected and autonomous vehicles to move people around airports, hospitals, business parks, shopping and tourist centres. The pilot project includes the design, development and testing of new autonomous and connected pods on-demand (PODs), culminating in on-road public trials at L
  • We need to talk about AVs
    October 15, 2021
    Will driverless vehicles lead to more deaths and destroy more lives than their manual counterparts? Transport writer Colin Sowman argues that they will
  • Motability gives grant to TRL and RiDC for accessibility research
    October 31, 2023
    Focus is development of accessible automated transport for people with disabilities