Truck Platooning Under Real Traffic Conditions: First Insights on Behavioral Adaptations and Gap Preference of Professional Drivers.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate (1) how different gap sizes are perceived by professional truck drivers under real traffic conditions and (2) whether semi-automated platoon driving leads to changes in driving behavior of subsequent manual driving.

Background: Platoon driving is a current branch in the development of automated driving in which two or more vehicles build a convoy. The lead vehicle is controlled manually while following vehicles are electronically coupled to it and drive semi-automated with small gaps in order to achieve a better traffic flow and potential fuel savings.