Singapore’s Ministry of Transport recently partnered with manufacturing companies Toyota and Scania to create a self-driving truck platoon system for use on shipping ports. These autonomous trucks safely travel in a convoy, carrying large shipping containers from one terminal to another without the need for multiple drivers.

Singapore has been steadily increasing their autonomous driving technology, most recently introducing the first public trials for self-driving taxis. The Ministry of Transport is now looking to address the country’s current truck driving labor shortage through the incorporation of these self-driving trucks.

Unlike other self-driving vehicles that operate by scanning their surroundings to calculate a route, the truck platoon system works by having each truck in the convoy automatically follow the truck directly in front of it. The entire line of vehicles is then led by a single driver in the front truck, who creates a path for the rest to follow.

Trials for this self-driving truck convoy will take place over three years, with the first year consisting of development and testing in both Toyota and Scania’s research centers. Afterwards, Singapore’s Ministry of Transport will bring the technology on-shore for additional testing and development within the local shipping ports.

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Source: NewAtlas