Autonomous Trucks: An Opportunity to Make Road Freight Safer, Cleaner and More Efficient

The report argues that the trucking industry is prime for automation due to rising operational costs, chronic driver shortages, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It identifies 'middle mile' hub-to-hub transport as the most viable initial use case for Level 4 autonomy. The document outlines a phased deployment roadmap—starting with platooning and moving toward full autonomy by 2030—while emphasizing that commercial success depends on new regulatory frameworks, standardized cybersecurity, and a shift in liability from drivers to system providers.

• The trucking industry is facing significant economic pressure from rising operational costs and driver shortages. In the US, operational costs increased 18% between 2010 and 2018, and the industry faced a shortage of approximately 60,800 drivers in 2018, a figure projected to increase by 160,000 by 2028.
• Human error is the primary cause of most serious truck accidents. In 2017, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 94% of serious crashes resulted from dangerous choices or errors made by people behind the wheel.
• Automation can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing vehicle utilization and reducing 'empty miles' (deadheading), which currently account for an estimated 15% of trucking miles. While trucks in Europe are currently on the road only 29% of the time, autonomous trucks could potentially be active up to 78% of the time.
• The 'middle mile' of the supply chain—the long-haul transport between hubs—is the most suitable for automation due to its routine nature and high speed. Level 4 autonomous trucks are expected to operate unmanned in geofenced lanes for these journeys.
• The deployment of autonomous trucking is expected to occur in stages rather than a single launch. Platooning is seen as the first viable application, potentially reducing total cost of ownership (TCO) by 1% for first-generation and 10% for second-generation systems. Full autonomy by 2030 could reduce TCO by 45%.
• The cost of the hardware required to automate a truck is estimated between $60,000 and $150,000 per vehicle. However, software development is significantly more expensive, with estimates that a robust 'Level 4 Highway Pilot' system would require an investment of at least $100 million.
• Critical regulatory gaps must be addressed to enable commercial adoption, including the need for a consistent liability framework that shifts culpability from the driver to the automated driving system, and the implementation of standardized vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology.

APA

World Economic Forum (2021). Autonomous Trucks: An Opportunity to Make Road Freight Safer, Cleaner and More Efficient. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Autonomous_Vehicle_Movement_Goods_2021.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Autonomous Trucks: An Opportunity to Make Road Freight Safer, Cleaner and More Efficient. 2021. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Autonomous_Vehicle_Movement_Goods_2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Autonomous Trucks: An Opportunity to Make Road Freight Safer, Cleaner and More Efficient |date=March 2021 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Autonomous_Vehicle_Movement_Goods_2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2021autonomous, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Autonomous Trucks: An Opportunity to Make Road Freight Safer, Cleaner and More Efficient}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2021}, month = mar, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Autonomous_Vehicle_Movement_Goods_2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }