Germany’s First Cab-Less Autonomous Truck Enters Regular Commercial Service

Germany’s first cab-less autonomous truck has entered routine commercial service, carrying Lidl goods on public roads without a driver or safety operator onboard.

Einride and Lidl are operating the Level 4 autonomous vehicle between a distribution centre and a store under Germany’s first permit for this type of deployment.

Unlike autonomous trucks built around conventional vehicles, the Einride truck has no driver’s cab.

There is nobody sitting behind a steering wheel waiting to intervene.

The companies plan to expand the operation into a multi-stop delivery network.

They also explicitly identify Germany’s shortage of commercial drivers as one reason for deploying autonomous vehicles.

The development moves driverless freight beyond testing and demonstration into ordinary logistics work.

Autonomous driving systems have spent years being presented primarily as technology that could assist professional drivers.

This vehicle has been designed around a different assumption.

There is no driver.

There isn’t even a seat for one.

Source

• Reuters – Germany’s first cab-less autonomous truck enters service