Highways England pilots self-driving truck concept on A14

Highways England is piloting self-driving truck concept on A14 road between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

The agency has partnered with British construction engineering company CA Blackwell to lead the trial.

Previously tried and tested in Australia, this project marks the first of its kind in England.

According to the government agency, the use of self-driving trucks can reduce the risk of road workers being involved in incidents on site, and assist in transporting excavated soil to fill large areas on construction sites.

In the trial, one self-driving truck is programmed remotely to follow a pre-determined route. It can detect and avoid obstacles and other vehicles on the route.

Highways England A14 deputy project director Julian Lamb said: “We’re increasingly looking to technological advances to help us safely bring improvements to drivers on England’s motorways and major A roads.

“Road construction has changed massively over the years and the testing of trucks such as these promises to allow us to work efficiently, speeding up roadworks, giving more protection to road workers, and moving jobs to other skilled areas.

“The trial we are leading with our partner CA Blackwell will enable the construction industry as a whole to be in a more informed position to make key decisions about autonomy on UK construction sites.”

In addition, Highways England is offering £150,000 grant for the A14 dump truck trial to provide environmental, social and economic benefits to the people, communities and business.

The agency intends to adopt the technology to modernise other UK construction sites following completion of the trial. The autonomous dump trucks are expected to be fully operational in the next two or three years.

The A14 road upgrade scheme between Cambridge and Huntingdon is currently handled by a joint venture comprising Balfour Beatty, Skanska, and Costain.