Steel Bridge Load Rating Impacts Owing to Autonomous Truck Platoons

Autonomous truck platoons are two or more trucks driving together as a single unit through the use of vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. These platoons can automatically accelerate or brake together, allowing them to travel at closer distances. With the world moving towards a more environment-friendly approach to everyday decisions, it is not a surprise that the concept of truck platooning is gaining momentum, as it reduces CO₂ emissions by lowering fuel consumption. However, studies need to be performed to confirm that existing bridges will be able to adequately support truck platoons. The scope of this research is to study the effects of truck platooning on steel girder bridges in the United States (US). A multi-dimensional parametric study was conducted, which evaluated a variety of bridge span configurations and span lengths. Load ratings (using three different methodologies) were calculated for each of these structures for a range of truck platoons (both the number of trucks within a platoon and spacing between trucks). For comparison, the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO) design and legal load ratings were also calculated for each bridge and were used to quantify the adequacy of current bridges to carry truck platoons. The study was able to identify the potentially inadequate existing bridges based on the original design methodology, configuration, and span length. This information is intended to be valuable to bridge owners as an initial screening process along corridors that will be subjected to regular truck platoon traffic.