SP EC I A L FE AT U R E Ville Hyrynen, Fleet and Sustainability Manager at Niemi Fedor Unterlohner, trucks spokesman for Transport & Environment powered trucks which will mean so-called FCEV trucks will adopt very niche uses in transport large markets like Australia and North America may take longer in adopting electric power as distances are further and the speeds at which they travel are higher. However, according to Carters article, the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) has discovered that 50 per cent of heavy duty truck use cases could go electric immediately. Back in Europe, Transport & Environment freight manager Fedor Unterlohner wants to see tougher legislation to compel truck manufacturers to produce more electric trucks rather than the current voluntary arrangements which would ultimately mean these vehicles becoming more affordable for transport companies including international movers. We dont think that the burden should be put on the transport operators and hauliers who are usually very small, he said.They might not have the financing power to do that. But if you mandate the truck makers, they have to scale-up production. That means economies of scale, (so) the vehicle costs will go down and the hauliers and transport operators will benefit from that. A focus for Transport & Environment will be trying to change EU CO2 standards, which currently do not Autonomous convoy trucks are on their way Just a few years ago, it may have seemed like science fiction. But with major automotive and technology manufacturers hard at work together to overcome the hurdles, autonomous trucks may be closer to becoming an everyday sight on our roads. Automation does not mean all trucks will be completely self-driving in future. It spans six levels ranging from zero (no assistance) to Level 1 (light-driving assistance systems) through to Level 5 (fully automated driving). These standards are defined by SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers. Forbes magazine looked at automated trucks recently and, according to writer Steve Banker, companies such as TORC and TuSimple are currently competing to bring Level 4 trucks to the market. Level 4 trucks can provide all driving under certain conditions. In the near-term, those conditions include departing from a depot or distribution centre close to 28 the interstate (in the US), driving on interstates in the Southwest (where the weather is not as harsh), and then arriving at a depot or distribution centre close to the exit of an interstate, he said. However, executives at TORC, a company that has been developing autonomous vehicles since 2007, say that Level 4 autonomous semi-tractor trucks wont be seen for several years. What is likely to be seen much sooner from this year is another kind of autonomous truck that does not fit the six-point scale. This will be a truck that runs in a convoy. Technology developed by a company called Locomation enables one driver to pilot a lead truck while a follower truck operates in tandem through Locomations system. This allows the drivers following the main truck to log off and rest while the truck is in motion. This will allow drivers to drive further, without exceeding maximum service hour regulations.