FedEx and Volvo are testing truck platooning for catch-up in Europe

FedEx Corp. is trying a new technology to tighten the spacing between freight trucks traveling on the highway as a way to increase safety, relieve traffic congestion and reduce fuel consumption.

Testing of a technique called “platooning” involves Volvo AB trucks pulling FedEx trailers separated by about 140 feet on a toll road in North Carolina. Drivers in the rear two vehicles only need to steer while braking and acceleration are done by the computer.

The “platoon” consists of three trained and professional Volvo VNL tractor truck drivers, each pulling two 28-foot double-trailers. Through CACC, a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology, tractors and trailers remained constantly connected. The tractors and trailers traveled at speeds of up to 62 mph while maintaining a time gap of 1.5 seconds, maintaining a closer distance than is typical for tractors on highways. The systematic and unplanned vehicle cuts demonstrated how the technology handles common traffic situations.

Vehicle-to-vehicle communication helps reduce braking reaction time and enables vehicles to follow more closely, match each other’s speed and brake automatically. The advanced technology is intended to serve as an aid – not a replacement – for skilled professional truck drivers.

The companies said in a statement on Wednesday that the operation represents the first test of this technology on a highway in the United States. Fuel savings can range from 4 percent to 12 percent as drag is reduced on the two trucks following the leader.

“Most of all, it’s a technology that we believe will enhance the safety of our vehicles,” John Smith, president of FedEx’s shipping unit, said in a phone interview. “There is an increase in efficiency due to the fact that when you platoon this way, the aerodynamics change.”

The live trial relies on a system designed by Volvo to keep vehicles in sync during maneuvers, and comes more than two years after the manufacturer sent trucks across Europe to Rotterdam. A stretch of highway near Raleigh, North Carolina, is one of 10 sites designated by the U.S. Department of Transportation to showcase technologies that could lead to self-driving vehicles.

Volvo and other truck makers are rolling out new systems like automatic braking to avoid collisions and warnings when a truck drifts out of its lane as it moves toward more autonomous vehicles.

“We know that these technologies will be part of our future, but the exact timing depends on many things: regulations, infrastructure, safety standards and market demand,” Per Carlsson, acting president of Volvo Trucks North America, said in a statement.

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