UK to trial truck platooning by the end of 2018

The first truck platooning trials on UK roads are planned to take place by the end of 2018, Transport Minister Paul Maynard has said. Announcing the US$10 million (£8.1million) government funding for trials today, Maynard said advances such as lorry platooning could benefit businesses through cheaper fuel bills and other road users thanks to lower emissions and less congestion. The platooning trials will see up to three heavy goods vehicles, travelling in convoy, with acceleration and braking controlled by
August 25, 2017 Read time: 3 mins

The first truck platooning trials on UK roads are planned to take place by the end of 2018, Transport Minister Paul Maynard has said.

Announcing the US$10 million (£8.1million) government funding for trials today, Maynard said advances such as lorry platooning could benefit businesses through cheaper fuel bills and other road users thanks to lower emissions and less congestion.

The platooning trials will see up to three heavy goods vehicles, travelling in convoy, with acceleration and braking controlled by the lead vehicle. All lorries in the platoon will always have a driver ready to take control at any time.

If successful, this technology could have major benefits for motorists and businesses in the UK. A row of lorries driving closer together could see the front truck pushing the air out of the way, making the vehicles in the convoy more efficient, lowering emissions and improving air quality. 

The Transport Research Laboratory will carry out the trial, with funding provided by the 1837 Department for Transport and 8101 Highways England. It follows a government-funded feasibility study which recommended a trial to examine the benefits and viability of platooning.  Rob Wallis, chief executive, 491 TRL commented that the UK has an unprecedented opportunity to lead the world in trialling connected vehicle platoons in a real-world environment.

Jim O’Sullivan, Highways England chief executive, said the trial has the potential to demonstrate how greater automation of vehicles – in this instance, HGVs – can deliver improvements in safety, better journeys for road users and reduction in vehicle emissions.

The trial will be carried out in three phases, with the first focusing on the potential for platooning on the UK’s major roads. Initial test track based research will help decide details such as distance between vehicles and on which roads the tests could take place.

Trials are expected on major roads by the end of 2018. Each phase of the testing will only begin when there is robust evidence that it can be done safely. 

Similar trials have already been successfully carried out in Europe and the United States.
 
However, Christopher Snelling, FTA’s head of national policy says, after first announcing the platooning trial in November 2016, it is imperative that government now moves plans forward quickly and efficiently to enable the logistics sector to plan efficiently for the future.

Commenting on the news, Jason Wakeford, director of campaigns for Brake, the road safety charity, said: "Rather than platooning lorries on already congested UK roads, the Government should instead cut emissions and improve public safety by moving more freight from road to rail. Each freight train takes around 60 HGVs off the road network.

"This rigorous trial is needed to prove whether this technology really can provide the safety and environmental benefits which are claimed."

Urban Traffic Control Location Based Systems

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Four out of five people ‘think autonomous vehicles are a good idea’
    August 23, 2017
    A new report from Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and Royal Holloway, University of London, has revealed that four out of five of the people surveyed (81 per cent) are open to the idea of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on the UK’s roads. The ‘Attitudes to AVs’ report shows that many people feel that AVs would help deliver a wide range of environmental, social and economic benefits. In addition, the levels of trust in AVs among the people surveyed was also shown to be fairly high, with 55 per cent of responde
    Read More
  • Hearing highlights economic importance of transportation system
    February 18, 2013
    The US Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure’s first hearing of the 113th Congress focused on the importance of infrastructure to the US economy and examined the role played by the Federal Government in ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable infrastructure. Chairman Bill Shuster highlighted how the quality of the nation’s infrastructure affects the lives of Americans in many ways on a daily basis, and how the Federal role in ensuring a strong transportation network is firmly rooted in the first day
    Read More
  • Smart motorways 'not safer in every way' says UK gov
    March 13, 2020
    Smart motorways are not always as safe - or safer - than conventional motorways, the UK government has acknowledged.
    Read More
  • The downside of driverless vehicles
    October 27, 2016
    Driverless cars will have a detrimental effect on congestion and security while the road safety benefits can be achieved sooner and cheaper using ADAS, argues Colin Sowman. Many Governments are consulting about the introduction of driverless vehicles and even running trials. As 70% or 80% of crashes are caused by human error, the promise of a crash-free future of driverless, self-driving or autonomous vehicles (call them what you will) is alluring, as are the claims of reduced congestion and lower emissions
    Read More

Highlighted Content