Page 29 - Logistics News June 2016

news

Self-drive trucks We have
your
‘future of Europe’s Complete
Solution.
busy highways’
Johannesburg, Durban,
SIX CONVOYS of semi-automated ‘smart’ East London & Cape Town
trucks recently arrived in Rotterdam’s harbour
after an experiment its organisers say will Jungheinrich South Africa (Pty) Ltd
revolutionise future road transport on Europe’s Tel: +27 (0)10 596 8460
busy highways. www.jungheinrich.co.za

More than a dozen self-driving trucks made 27
by six of Europe’s largest manufacturers
arrived in the port in so-called ‘truck platoons’.

‘Truck platooning’, similar to concepts with
self-driving cars, involves two or three trucks
that autonomously drive in convoy and are
connected via wireless with the leading truck
determining route and speed. The Rotterdam
harbour arrival concludes the first-ever cross-
border experiment of its kind with self-driving
trucks that left home factories from as far
away as Sweden and southern Germany.

Truck platooning will ensure cleaner and
more efficient transport. Self-driving vehicles
also contribute to road safety, it is claimed,
because most accidents are caused by human
failure. For instance, because the trucks are
connected via wireless they brake at the same
time to always maintain the same distances
between them – there is no human reaction
time involved.

The trucks used are still semi-automated
and despite computers allowing them to
drive by themselves, human drivers were still
required on board. The proponents of truck
platooning say several hurdles still need to be
ironed out and road users will not see self-
driving trucks just yet.

June 2016 | Logistics News