What Is Truck Platooning?

If you’ve ever watched a bicycle race, like the Tour de France, you’ll see big groups of cyclists traveling in a line. This is known as “drafting,” and it’s a way of taking advantage of the science of aerodynamics to reduce drag and increase speed. Essentially, the leading cyclist creates a low-pressure zone directly behind them. By riding in this zone, other cyclists can be “pulled” along, allowing them to save energy while maintaining speed.

Remarkably, some companies want to utilize aerodynamics for something much bigger: truck platooning. The idea is similar to the concept of drafting—by having trucks follow closely behind one another, they can benefit from reduced air drag and better fuel economy. But truck platooning doesn’t come without its risks.

In this article, we take a look at truck platooning, the pros and cons, and what it will take for it to work safely on our shared highways.

Understanding Truck Platooning

The concept of truck platooning involves multiple trucks following closely behind each other while driving down the highway or freeway. The goal is for the lead truck to take on the bulk of the headwind that sweeps down the highway. As a result, the vehicles following behind the lead truck would have the benefit of not having to work as hard to propel themselves across thousands of miles of American soil.

For truck platooning to be cost-effective, the trucks following the lead vehicle must be about 20 to 30 feet behind each other. To put this in perspective, the typical “safe” distance between two cars traveling 60 mph should be 88 feet; for trucks, a safe traveling distance might be twice that amount. However, truck platooning cuts that distance down significantly.

While truck platooning has been demonstrated to be effective in some real-world trials, it is not currently widely accepted. Efforts to improve automation technology are still ongoing, and safe truck platooning would require the development of various safety standards and regulatory frameworks. The concept holds promise, but real-world implementation would require overcoming certain existing challenges, such as varying traffic conditions, unpredictable human drivers, and legal questions around liability and safety standards. Full deployment would also depend on highly reliable autonomous systems and supportive infrastructure.

How Does Truck Platooning Work?

Currently, research into how truck platooning could effectively work focuses on a model that combines human operation and automation. The prototypes suggest that a human will drive the lead truck; however, the rest of the platoon may or may not have human drivers, depending on where automation technology stands in the next couple of years.

In most models, here’s how truck platooning works:

• Groups of trucks are digitally linked, allowing them to travel in a coordinated, closely spaced formation.
• The lead truck is typically operated by a human driver, while the following trucks are controlled by automated driving systems.
• These systems rely on a combination of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, radar, GPS, and adaptive cruise control to maintain tight spacing and synchronized movements.

V2V communication allows the trucks to share real-time data about speed, braking, and road conditions. When the lead truck accelerates, slows down, or encounters an obstacle, that information is instantly transmitted to the trucks behind it. This enables the platoon to respond nearly simultaneously—much faster than human reaction time—helping reduce the risk of collisions and increasing fuel efficiency by minimizing aerodynamic drag.

The spacing between trucks in a platoon is much shorter than would be safe with human drivers alone. However, the precise control enabled by automation helps maintain a consistent and safe gap.

Regardless, platoons would only work if the trucks following the lead truck could perform the same actions at stuttered time intervals. The lead truck would need to enter sequences of maneuvers into a computer, the computer would then have to transmit the data to the second truck in real-time, and the second truck would have to perform the same action as the first truck. In this way, the second truck would be “driving itself” through the commands sent by the first truck. Researchers are calling it “adaptive cruise control” that utilizes automated lateral and longitudinal vehicle control.

What Are the Benefits of Truck Platooning?

With its potential for reducing energy expenditure and boosting fuel economy, truck platooning has two main benefits:

• Reduced Gas Costs for Truck Companies: From a financial standpoint, truck companies will save money on gas. Aside from employees, the second-largest expenditure of the trucking business is paying for fuel. However, Texas A&M estimates that platooning can lead to anywhere from 5% to 20% in fuel savings.
• Reduced Carbon Emissions: The other positive of platooning is environmental. The average commercial truck uses about 10,700 gallons of fuel every year. When positioned in a platoon, a truck could potentially save thousands of gallons of fuel per year. This would have a significant impact on carbon emissions.

Texas A&M Preparing for Platoons

Texas A&M is a leader in level 2 truck platooning research. The institution is looking at a variety of highway stretches in Texas where platooning could be implemented without disrupting regular traffic patterns. The researchers have determined that 12 strips of roadway are worth investigating on a deeper level. The majority of these roads are in the southeastern part of Texas where rural communities are more common. In contrast, A&M has found that platooning in urban communities will slow traffic and will not make an impact on fuel emissions. Therefore, only rural roads are prospective “platoon accessible” pathways.

While companies continue to research the possibility of automated cars, platoons may be further off.

According to Thomas Martin, an autonomous vehicle management analyst at the Nevada Department of Transportation, “It is hard to say when these companies will be coming forward with a ‘production-level’ platooning technology.”

What Will It Take for Truck Platooning to Work in the U.S.?

For truck platooning to become the accepted standard in the trucking industry, there are a few widespread changes that will have to take place:

• Truck platooning technology must go through further development to help ensure its safety and efficacy.
• The infrastructure of American roadways must be upgraded to allow for safe truck platooning.
• Platooning must be tested against real-life traffic conditions and motorists.

Ideally, truck platooning would be possible across multiple brands or companies. Platooning may also be more likely and possible as the U.S. and the rest of the world transition to self-driving passenger vehicles.

Is Truck Platooning Safe?

The safety of truck platooning is, of course, a primary concern. While it may be better for the environment and may save trucking companies considerable amounts of money, it needs to be safe.

One of the concerns associated with truck platoons involves other vehicles and their ability to safely merge onto a road that has a platoon of three or more trucks. Will motorists be able to merge between trucks in a convoy? Will large platoons of trucks prevent motorists from merging onto busy roadways? These are just some of the factors that will need to be addressed as truck platooning is researched and tested.

At Arnold & Itkin, we are concerned with the safety of all motorists. Our truck accident lawyers fight for people who have been injured in crashes involving 18-wheelers, semi-trucks, and other commercial vehicles, and we are prepared to lead the way as cases involving truck platooning and autonomous driving arise. To find out more about our firm and how we can help you, call (888) 493-1629.