Truck Platooning in the transportation industry right now become one of the trend . Truck platooning is connecting two or more trucks in a group with the help of connectivity technologies, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, and support systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane keep assist. The trucks in a platoon automatically keep a set close distance. The truck at the head of the platoon acts as a leader, and the vehicles behind adapt and react to the changes in its movement, requiring little or no action from the driver.
Benefits of platooning to transportation industry
Truck platooning lowers fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Given that trucks can drive closer together, the air-drag friction is reduced significantly. Platooning also can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 16% from the trailing vehicles and by up to 8% from the lead vehicle. Truck platooning can be an effective solution for driver shortages and high wages.
Truck platooning helps to improve safety. Braking is automatic and immediate; the trucks following the lead vehicle only need one-fifth of the time a human would need to react.Trucks also are connected using direct Vehicle to Vehicle communications. This allows the rear truck to react immediately to the actions of the front truck. By electronically coupling the trucks in this way, they accelerate and brake together and can safely operate at closer distances to form a platoon.
Platooning optimizes transport by using roads more effectively, delivering goods faster and reducing traffic jams. The driving range of trucks can also be extended in certain situations.It also allows drivers to undertake other tasks, such as administrative work or making calls.
Like self-driving cars, there are varied models for how platooning will work. Some require no changes to the road infrastructure whatsoever, relying entirely on vehicle smarts and sophisticated communication between vehicles.Any system that introduces partial, but not fully autonomous operation can suffer from a vigilance problem. This could arise in a situation where there are drivers in the trailing trucks in a platoon, but they’re relying to some extent on the vehicle in front plus vehicle-to-vehicle communications to manage some of the driving.
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