Locomation completes on-road Autonomous Trucking technology pilot
Locomation has announced the successful completion of an on-road pilot program intended to showcase autonomous trucking technology for the SmartBelt Coalition (SBC), a collaboration of five transportation agencies and seven research and academic institutions, located throughout Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Over the course of one week, two Locomation trucks performed three separate interstate routes under close observation from representatives of all involved organizations.
Formed in 2016, the SmartBelt Coalition’s role is to foster collaboration amongst multiple agencies and research affiliates from Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, involving research, testing, policy, standards development, deployments, outreach, and funding pursuits in the area of connected and automated vehicle technology as well as other innovations in the transportation industry.
“Autonomous technology will not move ahead without the full support of government regulators and we are proud to take part in demonstrating our platform and in helping to inform public policy decisions,” said Dr. Çetin Meriçli, CEO and Co-Founder of Locomation. “The SmartBelt Coalition is a prime example of the importance of collaboration across states, agencies and institutions to set the stage for the deployment of real world autonomous trucking. Our participation is further validation that we’re on the most direct path to driving real world solutions for autonomous trucking.”
In this most recent demonstration, two Locomation trucks completed several routes through each of the three states, including one that started at the Pittsburgh Community Food Bank and delivered food donations to families in need in Toledo, OH.
Locomation’s Autonomous Relay Convoy (ARC) platform allows one driver to pilot a lead truck equipped with technology augmentation while a follower truck operates in tandem through Locomation’s fully autonomous system.
This pilot is another milestone for Locomation following several announcements this fall including the world’s first autonomous trucking technology purchase order with Wilson Logistics and a new technology collaboration with NVIDIA.
