Peloton Enabling One Driver to Operate Two Trucks

The method offered by the company is a good alternative to fully self-driving trucks that are yet to risky to be put on the road.

Many companies are developing autonomous vehicles, but it will take years before they can be implemented full scale, because the cost of an error on the road may be too high. The concept being developed today provides for a string of unmanned trucks with the lead truck operated by an experienced driver.

This approach will help optimize driver salary costs and save fuel, since vehicles will operate at close following distances and continuously exchange information.

However, it is too risky to let a dozen robot vehicles onto the road under the supervision of just one driver, so Peloton has decided to start small. The carrier proposes to start with two vehicles – conventional and unmanned ones – and gradually increase the number of robot trucks being platooned.

The on-board system of the self-driving truck will just repeat the driver’s actions, whereby the costs of creating a complex AI will be reduced and the savings will remain the same. The company's offer may become a transitional stage for putting fully-fledged autonomous trucks onto the road.