The Japanese government has developed a transport project with regard to autonomous heavy-duty vehicles. According to the accepted plan, self-driving trucks will be given the green light to be applied in truck platoons as soon as 2020.
The idea of “platooning” as a transport solution has attracted a great deal of interest both from truck manufacturers and logistics specialists around the globe. A platoon represents a group of vehicles, packed with autonomous technologies, which provide wire-free communication with the heading truck. The system is directed at taking control of timely acceleration and breaking to maintain the required distance between the driven transport means.
Thus, the Japanese logistics sector hopes to deal with a range of issues. First, it will be possible to overcome the lack of truck drivers. Second, truck platoons have the potential to minimize traffic jams, caused by the time lags during braking and slowing down.
For that purposes, Isuzu Motors together with Hino Motors have already been working on the development of the smart transport system, aimed at self-driving trucks. The first tests are planned for 2018.
As of Europe, the Daimler Company Ltd. is actively building up its original solutions for Mercedes-Benz trucks to introduce in 2025.
