HHLA and MAN Test Autonomous Trucks at the Port of Hamburg

Hamburg Port and Logistics AG (HHLA) and Munich-based truck manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus are developing and testing automated trucks for hub-to-hub container transport in the project ‘Hamburg TruckPilot’. In late May, practical tests with an autonomous truck were successfully conducted in regular operations at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA).

(Hamburg/Munich) “This is what the future feels like,” says Detlev Gosler, driver for the Emder logistics company Weets. He regularly drives his truck to the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder in the Port of Hamburg. He knows the processes well. But this time, everything was different. This time, he was not in control of the vehicle. The prototype of an autonomous truck navigates almost independently across the terminal area.

The research project Hamburg TruckPilot aims to develop automation solutions for road transport. Specifically, it focuses on the customer-specific use and integration possibilities of autonomous trucks in the container handling process at the CTA, which serves as a highly automated test field. After the preparation and testing phase, practical test drives took place at the end of May, during which the prototype truck equipped with electronic automation systems operated in regular logistics operations. Successfully, as the project participants summarized.

Driver Moves to the Passenger Seat

During the two-day practical tests, the Weets logistics company transported 40-foot containers on behalf of VW Group Logistics from the Weets Logistic Center in Soltau to Hamburg. Extensive data for automated driving was collected even during the feeder trip on the A7 motorway. Upon entering the Altenwerder terminal, the Weets driver moved to the passenger seat at the check gate, making room for a trained safety driver from MAN. This driver monitored the autonomous driving functions and was prepared to intervene and take over driving if necessary. The prototype truck independently accelerated cautiously, navigated at 25 km/h to the block storage area, and reversed the container chassis into the assigned lane. After the container handling, the truck autonomously returned to the check gate. The safety driver did not have to intervene even once. This marks a significant step in the Hamburg TruckPilot pilot project.

“We are pleased to be part of this innovative research project and to support the development of future automation solutions,” says Jakob Weets, managing director of Weets logistics, reflecting on the potential that automated driving functions can offer in relieving truck drivers in the future.

Preparing Early

Till Schlumberger, project manager at HHLA, also expresses his satisfaction with the successful practical test: “Autonomous driving is coming. This is confirmed by the recently passed law on autonomous driving. Accordingly, we as HHLA want and need to prepare early for the perspective that autonomous trucks will pick up or deliver containers at our terminals.”

Sebastian Völl, project manager for automated driving at MAN Truck & Bus, adds: “Hamburg TruckPilot is an important technological milestone on the path to hub-to-hub automation.” In this context, he also refers to the recently passed law by the Bundestag and Bundesrat, which fundamentally enables the use of autonomous vehicle systems in Germany in designated operational areas, such as routes between logistics hubs, under technical supervision.

Project Results in October 2021

Autonomous driving functions are expected to relieve and support truck drivers in their work in the future. Additional potential benefits include increased efficiency through predictive automated driving. This significantly reduces fuel consumption and can also positively influence overall traffic flow. Last but not least, the project partners expect higher safety in all areas.

The Hamburg TruckPilot project is part of the strategic mobility partnership between the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and the Volkswagen Group. At the ITS World Congress in October 2021 in Hamburg, the project partners will present the detailed results of the project.

Photo: © HHLA