Transport companies are struggling to find enough truck drivers to keep freight going at the rate needed. German truck maker MAN is working on a solution.
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00:00Is this the future of trucking?
00:04On a short stretch of Germany's Autobahn A9, just north of Munich,
00:08the Atlas L4 is making its rounds pretty much by itself.
00:13Behind the wheel is driver Özkan Ulukan, but he's much less a driver than he is an engineer.
00:19One of a small group at truck manufacturer MAN,
00:22their goal to have the 40-tonne behemoth log miles without a human on board.
00:29Arrows out and autopilot.
00:32For testing, the truck drives itself 10 kilometres northbound,
00:36it turns at the next exit and takes the same way back.
00:40Sounds simple, but this task is only possible thanks to an impressive rig of processors
00:45and a mind-blowing array of sensors.
00:49Up on top we have our rooftop bar, which holds most of the sensors, lidar, cameras.
00:55And there's also a high-precision GPS system built in,
00:59which helps us find the vehicle's exact location within two centimetres.
01:05There's more sensors at the bottom front, radar, lidar and cameras.
01:10They're monitoring road markings, the traffic around
01:13and virtually anything the system needs to find the truck's perfect trajectory.
01:18It works to a certain point.
01:20In its current phase of early testing, the engineer does act as driver
01:24whenever unusual manoeuvres need special attention,
01:28when construction has a lane shutdown or to exit the highway.
01:34We're starting with simple situations,
01:37but we're developing and improving the system step by step
01:40to include lane changing and piloting the truck away from rest areas.
01:46Once perfected, MAN sees enormous potential for autonomous trucking.
01:52Interest in the project is huge,
01:54because in Germany we're seen a bit as trailblazers.
01:57We're developing the whole thing in accordance with laws and regulations in place,
02:01and we do believe that we can scale the technology
02:04and enter markets like the US and China.
02:09The company has invested millions on a long-term bet
02:13that the shipping sector simply won't have enough truckers to keep going
02:17as it has been for decades.
02:19If autonomous vehicles could relieve the sector
02:22and take care of long-distance hauling,
02:24truckers could afford to work closer to home,
02:27servicing shorter routes off the highway.
02:30Of course, not everyone is happy to have driverless trucks take to the road.
02:38I find this difficult. I'm worried.
02:41Nobody knows if the computer or whatever is behind autonomous driving,
02:45if they can really do it.
02:47In some situations, there have been accidents.
02:50I can't really see this happen.
02:54On the safety side, I'm not so worried.
02:56After all, our trucks already have a lot of safety assistance built in,
03:00including lane-keeping assistance, forward collision warning, and so much more.
03:07This is fantastic. It lessens the risk of human error.
03:11Now, if they can make it electric, that would be even better.
03:16Meanwhile, for MAN, highway trucking is merely the beginning of the autonomous revolution.
03:22Once the AI is ready for more complex situations,
03:25it will be tested in public transportation, servicing bus lines in Munich.