Volvo Trucks, FedEx demonstrate truck platooning

Drivers on the Triangle Expressway stayed in constant contact through wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology.    Volvo Trucks North America on Wednesday announced the successful on-highway demonstration of its truck platooning technology through cooperation with FedEx and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority.
   The platoon consisted of three truck drivers in Volvo VNL tractors, each pulling double 28-foot trailers on N.C. 540, the Triangle Expressway.
   Through Volvo’s cooperative adaptive cruise control (CACC), a wireless vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology, the tractors and trailers remained in constant communication. Traveling at speeds of up to 62 mph while keeping a time gap of 1.5 seconds, the tractors and trailers maintained a closer distance than what is typical for on-highway tractors.
   Since April, three Volvo VNL tractors have been paired with various combinations of FedEx trailers to simulate real-world routes and trailer loads while traveling on N.C. 540.  
   N.C. 540 is one of 10 locations in the United States that the Department of Transportation has designated for demonstrating advanced vehicle technologies.