Autonomous driverless lorries to hit UK roads

Google has been testing driverless cars for a little while now, and the next stage in autonomous vehicles is driver-free lorries. Freed from the constraints of human drivers who have an irritating need to sleep, driverless lorries would be able to deliver goods over long distances faster than ever.

Driverless convoys of lorries are due to be trialled in the UK later this year as part of an attempt to not only speed up deliveries, but also reduce congestion on the roads. The Department for Transport wants the UK to lead the way in the use of "HGV (Heavy Goods Vehicle) platoons". The trials will take place on public roads.

Convoys of up to ten lorries could soon be wheeling their way down the M6 motorway. While this is a public road, the plan is to use quiet sections to minimize disruption and the potential for problems. This is not the first test involving driverless lorries; a trial program has been undertaken in Germany, but the tests carried out by Daimler required a human driver to be present as a backup.

Speaking to the BBC, AA (Automobile Association) president Edmund King expressed doubts about the plans:

The problem with the UK motorway network is that we have more entrances and exits of our motorways than any other motorways in Europe or indeed the world, and therefore it's very difficult to have a 44 tonne 10-lorry platoon, because other vehicles need to get past the platoon to enter or exit the road.

The Department for Transport has not revealed whether the UK trial will include human co-drivers, but says it will "be in a position to say more in due course". The government has not revealed how much money will be made available to the program, but the potential for reducing fuel consumption means that it is likely to be able to grab a cut of green budgets.

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