Truck platooning operation coming to Ohio and Indiana

Defense contractor Kratos Defense & Security Solutions is planning a truck platooning operation in Ohio and Indiana later this year.

Kratos, a technology company in the defense, national security and commercial markets, recently announced it will be deploying self-driving Class 8 tractor-trailer platooning technology. The company said it will be “hauling customer freight shipments along revenue-generating routes in Ohio and Indiana.” Hauling 53-foot dry van trailers, the platoon will complete short-haul trips consisting of roundtrips of 450 to 500 miles.

The platooning plan likely will take place along Interstate 70. A nearly $9 million collaboration between the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Indiana Department of Transportation established the I-70 Truck Automation Corridor. The 166-mile stretch of I-70 runs between Columbus and Indianapolis.

The truck platooning operation will take place in partnership with Ease Logistics, a third-party logistics company that provides services to automotive, aerospace, food/beverage and major manufacturing companies. The “Leader Follower Platoon” is being touted as a “first-of-its-kind deployment to address driver shortage impacts by enabling business continuity when qualified drivers are unavailable.”

Truck platooning involves trucks following each other closely, reducing air drag and improving fuel economy, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Speed and braking in following trucks typically are controlled through automation by the lead truck.

Although Kratos’ truck platooning project uses the term “self-driving,” human drivers will be present in both vehicles.

EASE Logistics will provide a qualified driver for the lead truck and a “safety rider” for the follower truck. The safety rider can take over manual driving control at any time.

According to Kratos’ website, its truck platooning technology was designed for defense and adapted for business continuity. The commercial side of the technology first was deployed last year in Wahpeton, N.D., hauling sugar beets. Kratos claimed the operation was successfully executed in harsh winter weather, using caged trailers hauling up to 99,000 pounds of sugar beets on short-haul routes 24/7 for more than 75% of the year.

Leader Follower Platooning | Kratos 

Truck platooning coming back?

Although truck platooning gained traction several years ago, enthusiasm for the technology has quieted down considerably in recent years.

Truck platooning was spearheaded by Peloton Technology, a Silicon Valley startup established in 2011. Early momentum caught the attention of federal and state governments. By 2017, Daimler Truck North America had jumped in on the action.

However, interest in truck platooning quickly eroded. In January 2019, Daimler announced during the Consumer Electronics Show that it was divesting in platooning technology and focusing instead on autonomous technology. The company claimed limited fuel savings did not justify the costs. Shortly after, Peloton folded.

But interest in truck platooning has not completely died. It still remains a topic in some statehouses. In Kentucky, a bill is being considered that would eliminate the requirement of a human driver for truck platooning. Similar laws were passed in Arkansas and Mississippi last year.

However, the technology seems to have stalled at the federal level. The Federal Highway Administration’s truck platooning webpage last was updated in November 2021. LL