Why the initiative was started
The solution
FPInnovations believes that autonomous trucking technology is a viable solution for the truck driver labour shortage, where forest fibre and raw material can be hauled by:
– One experienced truck driver leading a convoy of electronically linked driverless class 8 trucks (Platooning).
or
– Completely autonomous class 8 trucks (single vehicle autonomy).
Introduction of autonomous trucking in the Canadian resource sector will result in multiple benefits, including:
– Reduction in transport cost:
- – Lowering direct labour costs.
- – Facilitate double shifting and higher equipment utilization rates.
- – Potential to reduce fuel consumption.
– Securing the constant flow of raw material and ultimately avoid mill shutdown due to lack-of-driver-availability supply issues and avoid lost profits.
– Potential to improve safety and reduce insurance costs over the long term.
The technology behind autonomous transportation
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Sensors such as RADAR, LiDAR, HD cameras and thermal cameras allow an autonomous system to « see» its surrounding environment.
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GPS allows an autonomous system to find its location in the world. IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) can also be used for position adjustments when GPS is unavailable.
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Radio and cellular communication allows an autonomous system to communicate with other autonomous capable vehicles, dedicated infrastructure, and even remote monitoring stations.
Challenges
– Many technology providers are working on autonomous transportation solutions for either on-road use (paved road networks with lane markings) or private/controlled access roads (mining sites and shipping / receiving yards).
– Finding an autonomous solution for a forest environment presents a unique set of challenges:
- Challenging forest road topography
- Mixed traffic and obstacles
- Extreme Canadian weather
- Adapting the technology for multiple tractor-trailer configurations
- Public acceptance
- Regulatory hurdles
- Existing standards and policies that do not support autonomous transportation
FPInnovations intends on overcoming these challenges and leading the way to adopting the technology in a resource environment by applying an incremental approach to testing and deployment, as well as engaging with the right partners.
Development and commercialization timeline
Highway and resource road testing (October 2018 and July 2019)
Highway and resource road testing was executed in La Tuque Quebec with two class 8 Peterbilt 579 platooning trucks supplied by technology provider, Auburn University.
Over 1500km were driven with the platooning system engaged on primary and secondary roads.
This test program identified technological areas requiring improvement, but also demonstrated that platooning is viable on resource roads.
Baseline testing (March – September 2022)
Baseline testing was executed in partnership with technology provider, Forterra. Testing consisted of exposing Forterra’s MMS (Mobile Mapping System) to our Canadian resource environment and evaluating its performance in winter and summer conditions (dust, snow, rain, etc.).
Approximately 2500km of Quebec forest roads were scanned with the MMS, which is a portable autonomous sensor kit. The MMS is considered to be the « eyes» of a typical autonomous system and consisted of HD cameras, a lidar, GPS, and communication capabilities.
Phase 1 testing (July to December 2023)
Results from baseline testing were used to improve Forterra’s autonomous system. These improvements were applied to two autonomous capable class 8 Mack Granite trucks for Phase 1 testing.
Phase 1 testing was conducted in Idaho and California, USA, as well as five test sites in Quebec, Canada.
Phase 1 testing consisted:
- Leader truck = manually driven.
- Follower truck = autonomously driving with safety driver present.
- Empty quad axle semi-trailer (no payload).
- Demonstrate platooning technology on private forest roads (controlled access).
- More than 1400 km in autonmous mode
- Exposed to Canadian winter weather (snowfall, cold temperatures = -22°C)
Partners
Stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities
- Act as the honest broker – a neutral third party – tasked with finding the right technology for the Canadian natural resource sector.
- Facilitate communication among all stakeholders (industry, government, technology provider).
- Work directly with forest companies to ensure their operational needs are represented in the project.
- Guide technology providers on adapting their technology to a forest environment.
- Engage with Federal and Provincial regulators throughout Canada on testing / deployment processes.
- Lead test planning efforts and establish clear KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and SPIs (Safety Performance Indicators) that demonstrate system capabilities and safety milestones.
- Oversee deployment of the technology, and its supporting ecosystem, and ensure it is executed in a safe manner.
Technology providers, such as Forterra, Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc., and Kodiak Robotics Inc., are an integral part of the initiative. Some of their responsibilities include:
- Supplying autonomous capable trucks for the purpose of testing in Canada.
- Adapting their technology to meet the needs of the Canadian natural resource sector.
- Actively participating in test preparation, execution, analysis and reporting.
- Contributing to test plan creation, working with FPI to set realistic KPIs and SPIs that demonstrate their system’s capabilities and targets.
- Participating in ecosystem design as well as safe technology deployment planning efforts.
Stakeholders (Resolute Forest Products, Alpac, Chantiers Chibougamau, West Fraser) :
- Provide financial support for the initiative.
- Ensure that the forestry sectors requirements are represented in the initiative.
- Actively participate in regular monthly meetings and working sessions, providing feedback on project parameters and participating actively in decision making processes.
- Provide assistance in test preparations and execution, supplying manpower and equipment when required.
FPInnovations’ autonomous transportation work has been supported financially by various governmental bodies:
- SPN (Société du Plan Nord Québec)
- MRNF (Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts),
- NRCan (Natural Resources Canada – Government of Canada).
FPInnovations pursue its autonomous transportation efforts by engaging with provincial and federal regulators such as:
- Transport Canada
- MTMD (Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable – Québec)
- SAAQ (Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec)
- MTO (Ministry of Transportation of Ontario)
- Ministry of Highways – Government of Saskatchewan
- SGI (Saskatchewan driver’s licensing and vehicle registration)
- Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors
FAQ
What is the difference between autonomous platooning and single vehicle autonomy?
- Platooning in the autonomy space involves a convoy of electronically linked trucks where the lead truck is driven manually by an experience driver and the follower trucks are driverless, mimicking the movement of the lead truck.
- Single vehicle autonomy is an independent vehicle that is operating without a driver present.
- During testing and early deployment of FPInnovations’ Autonomous Transportation Initiative, there will always be a safety driver present in all vehicles. This safety driver will remain vigilant and ready to take over control of the vehicle in the event of a safety incident.
What is SAE L4 autonomy?
- SAE L4 refers to a vehicle capable of autonomous driving under certain well defined conditions. When the autonomous system is engaged, it is in control and responsible for all driving features even if a human is present in the driver’s seat.
- A system capable of SAE L4 operation will not operate unless all required conditions are met and will perform the appropriate reaction if a condition outside of its capability is encountered (i.e. stop, slow down, etc.).
- Conditions that define its operational design domain may include speed, geographical location, time of day, and weather conditions to name a few.
How could autonomy affect road safety?
- Majority of road accidents are attributed to human error. The adoption of autonomous vehicles and the appropriate ecosystem to support them have the potential to drastically reduce this source of accidents. It will also make it possible to safely support transport operations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- The ability to extend operational hours can potentially reduce congestion on roads by operating at times when there is less traffic
What is FPInnovations major goal in this initiative?
- Finding an efficient and safe solution for the forest industry’s truck driver labour shortage and assisting the industry in implementing autonomous driving solutions into their day-to-day operations.
How will autonomous transportation be deployed in Canada?
With the variety of technology providers in the ecosystem, a number of business models are emerging:
- Autonomy features-as-a-service: The client purchases the autonomous Class 8 vehicles, including all required technology, and subscribe to a monthly service for hardware and software upgrades, as well as maintenances, etc.
- Autonomous transportation-as-a-service: The technology provider acts as the fleet owner providing transportation services to their clients on a per mile, or even a fixed-price basis, depending on the type of operations.
- Hardware-as-a-service: The client pays for the autonomy kit to be installed on a pair of their existing trucks. The cost would be amortized over the life of the vehicles and would cover the installation, driver training (in the case of platooning), technical support, hardware / software upgrades, etc.
What is the cost of autonomous transportation?
Cost vary widely based on the desired truck configuration, type of routes and transportation, but already today there are some systems that are competitive with going driver rates in North America. In the long term systems will become considerably cheaper than they are now considering a number of factors:
- 24/7 availability – less trucks for the same freight.
- Overall uptime of the trucks due to more consistent driving and less accidents.
- Systems will be safer in the long term.
Does autonomous transportation reduce carbon emissions?
- While it is not the primary target of the initiative, in the long term, autonomous transportation has the potential to reduce fuel consumption due to consistent driving habits, no speeding and predictive route planning.
FPInnovations in the news
- FPInnovations receives $2M funding for forest truck automation project
Wood Business, March 26, 2024 - FPInnovations completes truck platooning testing
Supply post, November 17, 2023 - Autonomous trucks cutting a path in forestry sector
Truck news, November 13, 2023 - Resolute invests in truck platooning technology project spearheaded by FPInnovations, backed by NRCan’s Forest Innovation Program and Quebec’s Société du Plan Nord; in addition to funding, Resolute is providing testing terrain and logistical support
Industry Intelligence inc., September 1, 2023 - Resolute Invests in Innovative Truck Platooning Technology
The Resolute Blog, August 30, 2023 - FPInnovations completes baseline tests for off-road platooning project
Truck news, July 18, 2023 - FPInnovations announces the successful completion of the baseline tests of the truck platooning project
Financial Post, July 18, 2023