How does truck platooning work and what are its benefits?

According to reports, in recent years there is still a shortage of professional drivers in road transport. One possible solution may be truck platooning. It involves connecting several trucks so that they are all driven remotely in a column by only one driver.

The idea to integrate several vehicles with each other appeared many years ago, but only now, thanks to the rapid development of technology, the project is gaining momentum. Currently, numerous studies and tests are being carried out in many countries on all continents. A popular car automation company is m.in. Tesla. Thanks to this, platooning is becoming a more and more real solution for everyday use in road transport.

How does truck platooning work and what are its benefits?

The technologies that make platooning work are a combination of vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems, automatic steering to keep them on the same route, and vehicle autonomy control, which determines which vehicle is driven by the driver and which is driven automatically. In addition, it is possible to maintain a constant speed and distance between vehicles, which additionally increases safety on long routes. Platooning is a solution whose aim is also to reduce delays in the delivery of goods, thanks to greater predictability on the route. In addition, lower fuel consumption due to economical driving can significantly reduce road freight costs. This is also associated with reduced emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere, which will slow down the degradation of the natural environment. If platooning is introduced to general use, people will also be needed to monitor the work of vehicles and the situation on the route, which will provide a place for new people to work. However, it should not be forgotten that autonomous vehicles may also carry certain risks. There is a risk of attacking the systems and causing a traffic accident. In addition, drivers have less control over the entire convoy and may remain less focused on the route, which in the event of a sudden threat can also cause a collision. Therefore, much more testing and regulation is needed to safely introduce integrated autonomous vehicles into everyday circulation, which may take some time.