MAN conducts first autonomous truck test on motorway

MAN conducts the first autonomous truck test on motorway in Germany, advancing towards commercial production of self-driving trucks by decade’s end.

MAN conducts first autonomous truck motorway test in Germany

The first autonomous truck test on a motorway has taken place in Germany. The MAN HGV drove 10km on the A9 between the Allershausen and Furholzen junctions and is one of a series of tests as the manufacturer works towards the production of autonomous trucks towards the end of the decade.

80,000 Hours

That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
Kieran Anders Forestry

Kieran Anders is a forestry contractor working in the lake district. His work involves hand cutting and extracting timber using a skidder and tractor-trailer forwarder.
Promoting safety in the workplace

It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
Glasfryn Fencing and Sawmill

Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
Keeping Timber Hauliers Safe

Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.

FIND US ON

Alexander Vlaskamp, chairman of the executive board of MAN Truck & Bus, said:

“We are taking another big step towards autonomous commercial vehicles, the second major future field alongside the switch to CO2 drivers. Further projects will follow from 2025, but then in typical customer applications. We are taking the next development step towards series production of autonomous trucks towards the end of the decade.”

Dr Volker Wissing, federal minister for digital affairs and transport, added:

“The ever-increasing volume of transport, coupled with the worsening shortage of drivers, is a challenge for society as a whole. Autonomous trucks can help to alleviate the situation. In addition, the intelligent networking of freight transport offers the opportunity to make transhipment from road to rail more efficient and thus strengthen climate-friendly combined transport.”

MAN has been driving autonomous vehicles forwards for many years with various research and development project.

From 2019 to 2023, it had been working in the ANITA project with partners Deutsche Bahn, Fresenius University of Applied Sciences and Gotting KG to focus on the complete digital integration of an autonomous truck into the logistics process of container handling from road to rail.

The project is specifically implementing the law on autonomous driving passed in Germany in 2021, which already allows driverless driving on clearly defined routes and with technical supervision.

Practical test drives of the prototype with a safety driver on the motorway are planned at the end of the project. In the UK, the Government announced self-driving legislation in the King’s Speech in November last year. It said the automated vehicles bill would unlock a transport revolution by enabling the safe deployment of self-driving vehicles.