UD Trucks participating in METI and MLIT platooning trials

UD Trucks joined with other Japanese truck makers in platooning trials led by the Ministry for Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Tourism (MLIT). In the trials, the CACC (Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control) system jointly developed by the four companies was fitted to general purpose trucks platooning on expressways. UD Trucks used the all-new heavy-duty Quon truck for these trials.

The trials tested the technical and open road traffic compatibility of the system. This is the world’s first public road demonstration of multi brand truck platooning.

The technology for the platooning test aims at alleviating the burden on the drivers in the following vehicles of the platoon, but they also have an eye to the future of driverless trucks. UD Trucks is committed to continue cooperating with the government initiative in finding solutions for Japan’s freight business.

The CAAC technology, which is the focus of the trials, shares information between the leading and following trucks enabling automatic acceleration and deceleration, improving safety by maintaining a safe cruising distance.

Conventional ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) uses millimeter -wave radar, cameras and other vehicle-mounted sensors to detect positional changes relative to the vehicle in front, and automatically accelerates or decelerates. With CACC, information is transmitted to the following vehicles instantaneously when the driver of the vehicle in front operates the accelerator or brake pedal, making platooning possible by further reducing the time lag. Platooning is expected to result in greater safety, reduced congestion thanks to slow-moving traffic, and lower fuel consumption.

In 1989, UD Trucks became the world’s first truck maker to bring a collision-warning system to market, with its millimeter -wave radar based Traffic Eye Brake System. Since then the company has been vigorously promoting advanced driving support technologies such as AEBS (Advanced Emergency Brake System), LDWS (Lane Departure Warning System) and ACC. The Company sees autonomous driving as an extension of these technologies, and is committed to various other automotive technologies to improve safety, lessen the environmental impact, and increase productivity.  

The trials were conducted from January 23 to January 25 on the Shin Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture, and from January 30 to February 1 on the Kita Kanto Expressway in the north of the Kanto region. Specifics of the Shin Tomei Expressway trials can be found here.

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UD Trucks is a leading Japanese total transport solution provider. UD Trucks was established in Japan in 1935, and became a part of the Volvo Group in 2007. UD Trucks has established its headquarters in Japan and expanded its sales network in Japan and more than 60 countries worldwide. At UD Trucks, our mission is to provide the added value of Ultimate Dependability derived from UD to our company’s products as well as an unsurpassed level of excellence for our customers.