eFREIGHT Autonomous, a consortium of experts in commercial vehicles and automotive technology led by Voltempo, has revealed the findings of a nine-month long study into autonomous heavy goods vehicles, identifying hub-to-hub trunking and intermodal shuttle operations as the most viable starting points for early UK deployment.
The findings were presented at Voltempo’s Autonomous conference in Birmingham on 18 May, which brought together fleet operators, OEMs, government representatives and technology providers to discuss the future of autonomous freight in the UK.
Led by Voltempo alongside Connected Places Catapult and Berkeley Coachworks, the eFREIGHT Autonomous consortium secured funding in 2025 through the UK Government-backed CAM Pathfinder Feasibility Studies competition delivered by Innovate UK and Zenzic.
Since the project launched last year, the consortium has carried out workshops, seminars and customer visits with operators across the freight sector, while engaging with every major European truck manufacturer, alongside the Department for Transport, the Department for Business and Trade, Transport Scotland, Logistics UK, the RHA and SMMT.
Early-stage autonomous vehicle opportunities within UK heavy road freight
The study concludes that autonomous freight is moving rapidly from pilot projects into early commercial operation internationally, while the UK is approaching a key legislative milestone through implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024.
Michael Boxwell, Corporate Development Officer at Voltempo, said: “Over the past nine months, we’ve focused on understanding where autonomous freight can deliver genuine operational value for UK fleets and what conditions are needed to make deployment practical.
“What’s become clear is that this is no longer a future concept. The technology, legislation and commercial interest are all moving forward quickly, and with continued grant funding available to support trials, the UK is ideally positioned to take advantage and lead from the front.”
The report identifies two priority use cases for early deployment:
- hub-to-hub motorway trunking between logistics centres; and
- short intermodal shuttle operations linking ports, railheads and distribution hubs.
According to the consortium, these operations provide the clearest commercial and operational pathway because routes are predictable, interfaces can be controlled and benefits can be measured around productivity, utilisation, safety and emissions.
As part of the programme, Voltempo and its partners have also been working with government and OEMs on concepts for a new category of autonomous HGV, including lightweight “smart trailer” configurations capable of delivering 15% greater payload while reducing overall vehicle weight by around 10%.
The consortium believes these vehicle concepts could ultimately remove more than 22,000 heavy vehicles from UK roads while reducing fleet operating costs by up to 37%.
The consortium expects the next phase of the programme to focus on supporting UK autonomous freight trials from 2027 onwards, while continuing engagement with operators, manufacturers and government.
The full report, Early-stage autonomous vehicle opportunities within UK heavy road freight is available to download here.
