Throughout the world, trucks are traveling great distances and their drivers are spending long hours on the job. Utilizing the vehicle to vehicle communication for trucks allows drivers an opportunity to drive together in a convoy. The scheme which is popularly known as platooning has various benefits among which the most important is the improvement of safety and the reduction of costs for trucks which are traversing our roads and hauling loads.
Connected trucks are using the V2X technology which enables vehicles to communicate with each other as well as the environment they are driving in. This technology provides information ahead of time of visibility to the driver, unlike traditional sensors which generally attempt to replicate a sense already existing in us while adding an entirely fresh dimension to the perception between machines and humans. The sensor has the capacity to view around corners and obstructions in a radius of nearly 1 mile. Resolving primary problems such as safety and mobility is the main responsibility of V2X communication.
Drivers operating the vehicles are able to securely exchange information such as acceleration, speed, position, and direction of travel resulting in road safety being improved. They can get alerts about dangers in their path and reduce collisions significantly. Estimates are available to prove that nearly 80% of all accidents can be prevented with the help of V2X technology.
This technology also helps in improving the mobility of the trucks as vehicles begin to coordinate their maneuvers and synchronize together to prevent traffic jams or continue driving through a green wave. The technology also provides accurate data of the status of the vehicle in real-time to predict movements as well as intention such as turn lights. The technology ensures that traffic flows effectively resulting in less time being spent by everyone in traffic.
The largest original equipment manufacturers in the world have announced their intentions to equip contemporary vehicle models with this technology leading to the belief that in a few years from now we find it difficult to understand how we even managed to drive without the technology.
When following the scheme of platooning trucks can follow the lead truck given an opportunity for the driver to rest. Platooning ensures that trucks are in an aerodynamic formation which allows them to reduce fuel consumption by approximately 12%. Even better is the fact that the technology allows trucks not just to communicate with other trucks but also with cars, infrastructure, motorcycles in order to improve road safety.
Before the introduction of this technology drivers of vehicles had to depend on their abilities to understand road conditions, weather, infrastructure, and any oncoming vehicles and also take preventive measures for safeguarding themselves. However, they never had an opportunity to sense oncoming dangers which would arrive without warning because vehicles were unable to communicate with each other. Truck drivers were particularly concerned about this factor because they were traveling large distances by often demanding incommunicado. Despite the technology still being in its infancy it has been acknowledged as the future for trucks and is likely to be incorporated by most vehicle manufacturers.
The term platooning or connected trucks was unheard of in the past but is unlikely to remain the same in a few years from now. Truck drivers that wanted to drive in a convoy often had to use manual methods without the benefit of the ability to communicate with each other when moving on the roads. V2X technology will certainly change the method of driving which is presently adopted and make it possible for drivers to drive safely on the roads without fear of any hazards along the distances they traverse.
