I had no idea what truck platooning is, so I asked one of my trucking buddies. He’d heard of it, but all he knew was it was a series of semis platooning, following each other closely. I wanted to know more, so I started doing some research.
What is truck platooning? Truck platooning is a series of eighteen-wheelers following each other extremely closely. To ensure the platoon, or convoy, drives safely, the lead truck sends electronic signals to the trucks behind it. Those trucks use the signals as guides so they can safely follow the lead truck.
Having several 18 wheelers weighing 40 tons each follow one another so closely sounds dangerous. How does it work safely? Why would companies such as Kenworth/Peterbilt invest in the technology necessary to make this a safe way to carry goods? I wanted to know more, so I dug deeper.
So How Does Truck Platooning Work and What are its Benefits?
An 18 wheeler needs up to 40% longer to stop than a car. Typical distance between trucks is a little over 500 feet, but the designers behind truck platooning, such as Peleton would have their trucks maintain a distance of 30 to 50 feet between them. To do this safely, they would be connected via vehicle-to-vehicle technology, as well as additional connectivity through the cloud.
Sensors would help the trucks in the rear respond to road conditions. Drivers in the rear would be able to see what the lead truck sees, and they would still have control over steering. Additional safety features would include adaptive cruise control and braking systems. Also, drivers would be able to talk to each other through a voice communication system.
“When drivers platoon, people think they’re staring at a wall in front of them. They’re doing basically the same tasks: steering, being aware of what’s going on.”
Source: Josh Switkes, founder and Chief Executive of Peleton Technology
Proponents of truck platooning point to a series of benefits:
- Increased safety due to the fact that braking is automatic and not dependent on a human reaction
- Reduced accidents because cars would no longer weave in front of trucks
- Improved highway conditions due to less congestion
- Lowered fuel consumption, leading to decreased cost and harmful CO2 emissions.
How Much Would Those Savings Actually Be?
There isn’t a lot of hard data out there, so these numbers are estimates:
- Lead trucks would emit between 4 and 8% less CO2
- Platooning trucks would emit between 10 and 16% less
- Taking those ranges I calculate a reduction of 10% CO2 emissions
Next we have to calculate how much emissions that would be:
- The EPA has determined semis drive an average of 100,000 miles a year
- Estimated of total driving is 140 billion miles each year
- Trucks emit approximately 1.7 metric tons of CO2 for every 1,000 miles
- That amounts to approximately 240 million metric tons
- A 10% reduction would push that down to approximately 215 million metric tons
However, those numbers are based on the unrealistic principle that all trucking would involve platooning. They suggest that talk about the environmental benefits is mainly for PR.
Decreasing Fuel Costs
Perhaps what interests’ companies is decreased fuel costs. The average semi gets 6.5 miles per gallon and consumes $70,000 of diesel a year. A 10% reduction per truck for a company like JB Trucks that has 12,000 trucks running would add up to tremendous cost savings!
Currently, most trucking companies claim they are not thinking about saving money by having fewer drivers. These trucks are not autonomous, and drivers are still needed in the platooning semis. Still, it’s hard to imagine that there is some thinking down the road about autonomous trucks.
Trucking companies are not the only ones investing in platooning. In 2016 the Army began testing platooning. It plans to ship 60 trucks to two locations: Ft. Sill in Oklahoma and Fort Polk, Louisiana. The army believes that having only one driver in the lead truck would decrease fatalities from roadside bombs.
And another use I never would have considered:
“If you’re running a five-truck concert tour around the country, that is the perfect platooning application.”
Source: Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency
Imagine the Rolling Stones platooning between tour stops!
Hurdles to Overcome
Obviously, the technology is not here yet, although bits and pieces are. The real hurdles are less obvious, especially to someone who isn’t in the industry.
- Regulatory. Only 17 states have approved truck platooning so far.
- Liability. In case of an accident, who is at fault–the driver or the technology?
- Practicality. Which trucks will be in the lead? How will decision be made if trucks from different fleets will platoon? Will the truck in the rear of the platoon have to pay to compensate for the additional savings?
- Safety. Drivers, weight, and condition of the semis all need to be considered. How will this be determined?
- Drivers. How will fleet directors convince drivers that this will increase safety? And what will convince drivers this is not an opportunity to eliminate their jobs?
Many analysts suggest that the primary users of truck platooning would be large companies, such as Fed Ex and UPS. They have trucks traveling the same routes consistently, and this would eliminate many of the problems listed above. Those companies would most likely be early adopters of the technology.
European trucking companies are also planning for truck platooning, and they are facing similar hurdles. Scania, one of the largest operators in Europe, is currently focusing on adaptive cruise control and training drivers on platooning techniques. Their next steps are to improve vehicle-to-vehicle communication so they can reduce the distance between their semis.
A current study in Europe is looking into issues related to safety, traffic, and road infrastructure. Current European analysts predict that platooning should be viable by 2025. But don’t tell drivers, for the ultimate goal for companies like Scania is autonomous. So says
“We strongly believe platooning will be the case for completely autonomous vehicles down the road.”
Source: Christian Bergstrand, program manager for Scania.
Not everyone is on board.
Originally several companies were excited about this technology. One of those was Daimler Trucks North America. They originally supported platooning because of customer demand. They even demonstrated a two-truck platoon in 2017.
But in January of this year, Daimler’s executive announced they would not continue to pursue the technology.
“The technology we would have to put in does not quantify the savings.”
What Daimler has done instead is to focus on driver-assisted technology and ways to increase fuel efficiency through better aerodynamic design.
Other analysts say that it sounds good on paper, but the issues involved make it impractical in the real world
“Platooning expects an inconsistent world to act consistently. To get two drivers, two loads going to the same location at the exact same time, it just doesn’t happen very often.”
Source: Dave Jackson, chief executive of Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.
If you want to watch it in action, the Scania group has a promo video:
Watch this if you want a trucker to tell you what many of them think about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZME8fkQrIhQIf you want to try it at home, buy yourself a couple of fully autonomous 1/18 scale race cars from Amazon, or for the budget conscious, buy a couple of radio-controlled racing cars, get a few buddies together, and try it yourself.