Self-driving trucks are getting closer. Now they need some rules.

Improving sensor and camera technologies mean truck manufacturers are inching closer to unleashing self-driving trucks on Europe’s roads — and they want regulators to catch up.

“We’re driving on the Autobahn in Germany,” Peter Hafmar, head of autonomy at heavy duty vehicle manufacturer Scania, told POLITICO. “Basically the systems are up and running with a safety driver in the cockpit, ready to take over at any point. But the systems are running by themselves. Technically, the human driver is a redundant safety mechanism.”

Like its rivals, Scania has been rolling out self-driving trucks within confined zones, such as mining areas, with back-up drivers behind the steering wheel. Recently, the company started selling its autonomous mining trucks, which operate without any need for human drivers.

In April, MAN Truck & Bus received a motorway test permit in Germany for a truck that operates completely autonomously under certain conditions, known as Level 4 in the five-step categorization of self-driving technology.

But the rules on self-driving trucks will need to be updated for them to become widespread, the industry warns.

Currently, legal approval of autonomous heavy-duty vehicles like trucks in hub-to-hub scenarios is only possible for limited numbers, as it falls under the small series type-approval scheme.

“This is not a problem now, but it will eventually be an obstacle to larger-scale deployment in the future,” said Harald Seidel, the boss of DAF Trucks and commercial vehicles board chair with car lobby ACEA.

Scania’s Hafmar said: “Even if we had perfect legislation today, we couldn’t go fully autonomous. But within a few years, we will be able to do so. Legislation needs to move.”

To pave the way for the future of automated driving in the EU, Seidel sees a clear list of obstacles that should be on the agenda for the Commission and Parliament in the next term.

First, national and cross-border pre-deployment testing of automated systems on open roads should be simplified by creating European testing permits.

Second, the EU should upgrade and harmonize its digital infrastructure to make it suitable for automated driving, followed by updating road traffic rules for high-level automation and improving minimum road standards for the technology.

Finally, Seidel thinks type-approval regulations should be updated to remove restrictions on the number of automated vehicle registrations and the bloc should float funding schemes for automated freight and passenger services to accelerate the transition to autonomous mobility.

“We want one clear legislation across Europe,” Hafmar said, adding that ideally if a solution is approved in one country it should be approved in all. “Most progress right now is achieved on a country level.”

Rules of the road

There are currently are two regulations in the EU that make the introduction of self-driving trucks possible.

A law from 2022 on automated driving allows so-called “hub-to-hub” cases, including the carriage of passengers and goods on a predefined route with fixed start and end points, usually executed within industrial areas with relatively low traffic like quarries and harbors.

Then, the regulation on automated lane keeping systems (ALKS), adopted in 2020, was extended in 2021 to trucks, buses and coaches. This allows the use of ALKS for speeds below 60 kilometers per hour on motorways, but requires the driver to be present and ready to take over.

Seidel says the conversation around further regulation will have to address some pressing social questions about self-driving trucks. Tesla has already been involved in numerous legal disputes over accidents related to the autonomous driving software used in its cars.

“What kind of acceptance is there in society when an autonomous driving truck makes the same kind of errors as a truck operated by a human?” Seidel asked.

DAF Trucks has tested self-driving trucks within confined areas like harbors, but the extent to which autonomous driving can be used more widely is yet to be determined, Seidel said.

“Taking it a step further and commercializing it structurally on European roads will depend on the legislation we end up with,” he said, and this will be partly determined by people’s acceptance of the technology. “Not to mention the business cases for different levels of autonomy are still pending.”

Open borders

Scania’s Hafmar thinks talks on self-driving trucks should be held on a European and international level.

“Countries often ask what they can do to accelerate the rollout of this technology. However, trucks often transport goods between countries. We’ll need to look at regulation for this tech on a European level and beyond,” he said.

“The European Commission and some member states are currently working on this,” said Seidel. According to him, testing the technology, particularly cross-border testing, remains difficult due to the need for testing permits, which are sometimes handled at the local level.

“We need a European testing framework to cut through red tape and enable realistic testing. Making a vehicle road legal happens at the European level. But to operate automated vehicles, national approval and licensing are also necessary,” he said. “Only Germany has the required legislation in the EU for now.”

David Storer, director for research and innovation and new mobility at the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) agrees. “The realization of automated long-haul transportation is fully dependent on open collaboration across borders and regions, making large-scale initiatives crucial to achieving success.”

Currently, many rules are set at the national level.

Finland, for example, has laws concerning the testing of automated vehicles, but not for their general deployment on public roads. “For heavy vehicles, discussions on the EU level will be needed in the future,” said a spokesperson for the Finnish permanent representation to the EU.

Sweden is running tests for autonomous trucks and liability regulation would be the most pressing issue as it’s a national competence, a spokesperson for the country’s permanent representative told POLITICO. “The regulation that exists [in Sweden] is experimental legislation which means that automated vehicles can be driven in traffic after permission from the Swedish Transport Agency.”

Storer said policy talks could get complicated, warning that automated long-haul transportation across Europe hinges on substantial investments, like the ability to equip transport corridors with the digital infrastructure needed for smarter and safer mobility.

Seidel said not all autonomous driving technology for trucks means drivers will be taken out of the equation. DAF trucks is working with partners to develop supportive sensor and camera technology that will assist drivers.

According to him the biggest applications of self-driving technologies will primarily assist drivers with road safety. Completely removing drivers remains a long-term vision that might be an option for certain applications.

“We don’t know how fast that will come and how it will be adopted,” he said. But, if done well, he sees an opportunity for new legislation to also address urgent challenges such as road safety and the lingering driver shortages within the trucking industry.

Credit to: Politico