Highways England reveals self-driving trucks for roadworks

Self-driving trucks from Highways England are capable of working for far longer and could speed up roadworks.

Highways England are trialling the self-driving trucks, which are being used in roadworks on the A14 near Cambridge and Huntington. The dump trucks move huge amounts of earth and are being introduced to the UK after being used in Australia.

It is hoped that the trucks will speed up roadworks and reduce disruption as well as reducing the risk of injury for workers. The autonomous vehicles will be tested in a controlled environment on their ability to follow a predetermined route while avoiding obstacles, other vehicles, and safety risks.

Deputy Project Director on behalf of Highways England for the A14 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.”

Highways England hopes to introduce the vehicles to roadworks across the country once testing is complete, but this could take two or three years. Highways England has contributed £150,000 to the trial from its innovation designated fund, with the roadworks being completed by Skanska and Costain and Balfour Beatty.

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