Log truck platooning—where two or more log trucks transport logs from harvest sites on resource roads with only one qualified log truck driver in the lead vehicle and the following vehicles responding through the use of drive-by-wire communication technology to his driving behavior—is technically viable.

That’s according to an ongoing study on this novel concept of log delivery being conducted by FPInnovations, Canada’s forest products research institute.

The next study phase is to identify road networks where this technology could safely be deployed. Given Canada’s size, there are a large number of sparsely-used resource roads throughout the country which are used almost entirely for log transport.

This research is being supported by three industry partners, those being Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries (Al-Pac), which operates a large pulp mill near the town of Athabasca in north-central Alberta and has the largest Forest Management Area (FMA) in the province, West Fraser, which operates a number of sawmills in Canada primarily in B.C. and Alberta, and sawmill owner Chantiers Chibougamau, in north-central Quebec.

All partners supported the research financially, but also provided dedicated stretches of road, staff for testing and safety, and input regarding operational requirements for the various operations across the country.

FPInnovations has been pursuing this technology because of a severe shortage in Canada of qualified log truck drivers, to the point where they say some sawmills have shut down due to a lack of wood delivered to the yard, “and as the situation worsens, these supply chain disruptions could become more frequent.”

Also what’s becoming noticeable is that winter weather is no longer as predictable as it has been in the past, potentially because of a changing climate. At one time, loggers in many parts of Canada could anticipate frozen resource roads usually from at least the end of November till early to mid-March, providing a window for log delivery for many companies. However, in recent years, roads have frozen much later and thawed earlier, with frequent freeze/thaw events in mid-winter, making it significantly more difficult to retrieve the required volume of logs needed by mills. The ability to platoon two or more trucks, even to a central, more accessible staging area close to better roads and highways at a time when more remote resource roads are frozen, could mean a lot to maintain a steady log supply.

During the most recent three-week study and demonstration where log haul contractors were present to observe the platooning log trucks in action, FPInnovations partnered with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, which has experience developing truck platooning technology for use by the U.S. military in harsh environments. The goal was to demonstrate the robustness and adaptability of autonomous systems.

There was a qualified driver in the lead truck with a safety driver in the driver’s seat of the following truck in the event that there was a need to take manual control. A total of 2,000 kilometres were driven at speeds of up to 70 km/h on resource roads and 113 km/hr on a high-speed paved test track.

FPInnovations reports that the follower truck faithfully reproduced the actions of the lead vehicle in complex situations, including lane changes, speed adjustments, variations in spacing distances and management of vehicles inserted between the leader and follower trucks. And it worked equally well with empty and partially loaded trucks.

Testing was also conducted in difficult and extreme conditions with heavy dust, different times of the day, rain, and temperatures as low as -6°C.

Although this research phase conducted in winter 2024 was successful on an actual remote resource road network in Quebec and in a small trial on a closed gravel road in Alberta, researchers believe that they are still two to three years away before this technology could be legally deployed on specific resource roads.

“Resource roads represent an interesting first step for deployment because they have low traffic and many have limited access to the public,” says Christoph Schilling, Business Development Manager at FPInnovations.

Schilling adds that part of the challenge at this stage is that technology is outpacing regulation, as it is evident that there are a number of suppliers on the autonomy side and also truck OEMs gearing up for production of autonomy-ready vehicles. So predicting timelines when this technology could receive the green light from regulators is difficult. Also, part of the challenge for gaining approval is that there are different transportation rules and regulations among the provinces.

This year’s target for FPInnovations is to develop what it calls, ‘Autonomous Transport Corridors.’ Schilling described them as essentially defined areas where autonomous transportation will be trialed and tested in a more operations scenario.

“These corridors will be stepping stones and will come with all the necessary safety cases fully developed,” he says. “They are an opportunity to collect data and proof out these safety cases for an eventual driverless deployment. Developing these corridors will also allow us to engage provinces across the country—together with our members and technology providers—to hopefully align somewhat on an approach for future deployment.”

Deployment of this technology is expected to be particularly valuable in more remote communities where there is a limited pool of qualified log truck drivers. One scenario being contemplated is having a qualified log truck driver in the lead vehicle and lesser qualified safety drivers in the following vehicles whose main function will be to monitor their truck’s operation and take control if something unexpected or dangerous occurs. In this scenario, it would give log haulers in remote communities—where qualified drivers are few—the ability to widen the labour pool by not having to depend on fully qualified log truck drivers in every vehicle.

“The challenges to recruit and retain log truck drivers has increased exponentially over the past few years,” says one of the northern Alberta partners supporting the FPInnovations research. “Pending industry and safety acceptance both provincially and federally, we have hopes that this technology will one day help offset driver shortages and add another resource option for the movement of forest products.”

The company adds that they deem that this technology’s development is, “progressing at a decent pace.”

“It is still early to predict potential viability, but this technology is something to monitor closely.”

Schilling says that response from participants who observed the demonstration of the technology was “very positive.”

“The majority of the trials were successful and showed that the technology is on a good path. Operational implementation is something that will be a challenge and different on a case-by-case basis. Working with technology providers and forest companies on tackling these challenges will be crucial.”

Aisha Manderson, Senior Engineer and Project Manager on the FPInnovations autonomous driving initiative, has said that one of the main driving forces behind developing this technology is safety, indicating that the Institute is taking a very incremental, graduated approach to testing, to ultimately achieve a safe product.

A driving principle behind the most recent research phase was to test the technology at all times of the day in a variety of road and weather conditions—and it passed those challenges.

Log truck platooning on public roads like highways is still in the more distant future, but the Institute says it intends to use the same rigorous research approach to make the case down the road with an emphasis on safety for potential use on highways.

Remote resource roads offer the best opportunity for deploying log truck platooning technology, to overcome a shortage of qualified log truck drivers and unpredictable log haul seasons in some areas of the country.