DACHSER is testing self-driving vehicles

By: Trademagazin Date: 2024. 04. 08. 10:58

Self-driving vehicles have great potential in the field of logistics. One way of using them is, for example, the automated maneuvering of exchange cabinets and semi-trailers. But how can this be done safely and efficiently in a busy logistics center? At the DACHSER site in Langenau in southern Germany, research was carried out in this regard in a real plant.

For three and a half years, DACHSER has been testing self-driving towing units in real operation at one of its sites in southern Germany. The research project is looking for an answer to the question of what possibilities exist for self-driving vehicles in logistics. Using the experience, a comprehensive safety concept was developed, and based on the results, the legal framework conditions for the automated transport of goods in transshipment centers will be drawn up in the future.

At DACHSER’s logistics center in Langenau, the Kamag Precision Tractor picks up an empty semi-trailer from the parking lot and heads for gate 35. The person sitting behind the wheel can sit back comfortably with a laptop in hand while the vehicle drives autonomously. His role is only to intervene in an emergency. Traveling at a speed of up to 20 kilometers per hour, the train fits seamlessly into the site’s traffic filled with human-driven vehicles and pedestrians. During their journey, they have to overcome many unpredictable factors, avoid obstacles, change direction, and watch out for pedestrians and cross traffic. Kamag’s work is part of the SAFE20 project, funded by the German Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection, during which the use of self-driving vehicles in busy transshipment warehouses and sites is assessed under real conditions.