Semi-automated trucks take to European roads

Six European truck manufacturers will bring platoons of semi-automated trucks to public roads, crossing borders from various European cities in order to reach their final destination of the Port of Rotterdam on 6 April. The overall objective of this European Truck Platooning Challenge is to accelerate the introduction of truck platoons by putting the subject high on the agenda of EU policy makers.
June 8, 2016 Read time: 1 min

Six European truck manufacturers will bring platoons of semi-automated trucks to public roads, crossing borders from various European cities in order to reach their final destination of the Port of Rotterdam on 6 April. The overall objective of this European Truck Platooning Challenge is to accelerate the introduction of truck platoons by putting the subject high on the agenda of EU policy makers.

According to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (6175 ACEA), truck platooning can help make road transport safer, cleaner and more efficient in the future. It said cooperation is vital to prevent countries from creating a patchwork of rules and regulations, which could hinder investments in automated and connected vehicles.

However, reacting to the announcement that the UK will start platooning trials, 6985 Road Haulage Association chief executive Richard Burnett said the technology had to prove itself and questioned: “Does it make operational sense and, critically, will it be safe on UK roads with so many junctions?”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Getting C/AVs from pipedream to reality
    October 17, 2019
    The UK government has suggested that driverless cars could be on the roads by 2021. But designers and engineers are grappling with a number of difficult issues, muses Chris Hayhurst of MathWorks Earlier this year, the UK government made the bold statement that by 2021, driverless cars will be on the UK’s roads. But is this an achievable reality? Driverless technology already has its use cases on our roads, with levels of autonomy ranked on a scale. At one end of the spectrum, level 1 is defined by th
    Read More
  • Qualcomm: How Connected Driving Will Reduce Emissions in the EU
    September 14, 2023
    In an era marked by climate change and an urgent need for greener mobility solutions, the advent of connected driving has emerged as a promising frontier in the realm of transportation.
    Read More
  • Mobinet counters weighty cross border concerns
    November 9, 2017
    A Mobinet pilot is combining onboard weighing with V2X comms to streamline vehicle weight enforcement. David Crawford reports. Pan-European, cross-border weigh-in-motion (WIM) for trucks is now a practical possibility, following successful Scandinavian trials within the EU-co-funded Mobinet (Internet of Mobility) programme. New technology is using strain sensors, located on load-bearing components and routinely installed in truck fleet management systems.
    Read More
  • £100m UK C/AV site opens next March
    November 30, 2020
    Assured CAV plans to develop and test vehicles safely 'at the limit of controllability'
    Read More

Highlighted Content