UK Roads not ready for autonomous HGVs – Swannells – Warehousing Huntingdon

There’s no doubt that one day autonomous HGVs will have a place in the haulage and freight industry, but according to a report carried out by the Road Haulage Association (RHA), roads all across the UK are nowhere near ready for autonomous HGVs.

The government published a report claiming that “an early example of CAV (connected and autonomous vehicles) close to deployment.”

The report also stated that “HGVs may be one of the first that will take the advantage of CAV technologies because, if you are an operator, you have an interest in pence per mile rates and you can benefit in fuel economy platooning”

But the majority in the industry recognise that there will be a number of challenges if these plans are to go ahead, especially as you would still need to have a driver at the wheel along with the autonomous vehicle, does this mean you pay them less as they are not driving?

The RHA released a statement saying that the idea of CAV is being treated with caution.

warehousing huntingdon

Swannells – Warehousing Huntingdon

Before we see autonomous vehicles involved in the haulage industry, it is clear that serious change is needed for UK roads. While manual drivers have years of experience and are now used to the road conditions, autonomous vehicles may have only been tested on well layered, even roads.

Before the government looks to invest further into autonomous vehicles in the UK, the majority of the haulage industry recognises that the more serious issue is the state of the roads in the UK, and it is an issue that continues to hold the industry back. Once the roads have been sorted, then the government can look to invest further in autonomous vehicles.

Swannells – Warehousing Huntingdon

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