News
14 September 2021

Avtodor State Company has become a new participant of the Unmanned Logistics Corridors project

The Ministry of Transport of Russia and Avtodor State Company have started a joint implementation of the Unmanned Logistics Corridors project, which was previously approved by the Russian Government. Commercial use of autonomous trucks will be provided on M-11 Neva highway by 2024, and on 20 thousand km of federal roads by 2030, including M-12 highway and the Central Ring Road. Today, Kirill Bogdanov, Deputy Minister of Transport, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Digital Transport and Logistics Association (DTL), and Vyacheslav Petushenko, Chairman of the Board of Avtodor State Company have signed the relevant agreement at the international forum "Innovative Technologies and Intelligent Transport Systems in Road Construction".
The Ministry of Transport of Russia is forming a project consortium with the largest technology developers, car manufacturers, carriers, and freight forwarders. The following companies have already become participants of the project: Digital Transport and Logistics Association, KAMAZ, National Telematic Systems (NTS), SberAutoTech, Delovye Linii (Business Lines), Globaltruck, First Forwarding Company (PEC), X5 Group, Volvo, Russian Post, State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK), and VTB Infrastructure Holding.

"Avtodor State Company is a key link necessary for the implementation of the project both in respect of M-11 highway, and for further scaling of worked-out solutions on M-12 highway and other highways that form an unmanned transit corridor between Asia and Europe,” Kirill Bogdanov noted. "Digital road infrastructure and technological data transmission network should ensure the passage of Russian and foreign unmanned transport. And in order to develop universal approaches and technological standards, it is important to combine the competences of Avtodor, car manufacturers, UAV developers, and users of this infrastructure, that is, carriers and freight forwarders."
Vyacheslav Petushenko emphasized that during the construction of such modern highways as the Central Ring Road and M-12 highway, the creation of a "smart road" infrastructure, which will become the basis for launching unmanned traffic, is planned initially. “We have already carried out unique tests on the Central Ring Road and have shown the readiness of the infrastructure for the movement of innovative unmanned trucks without traditional control elements and without a driver's cabin on a real example. An integrated state approach and participation in the project of the leading companies from the entire transportation chain will make M-11 the first highway in the world, along which the movement of unmanned trucks will be possible by 2024,” he concluded.

Testing of unmanned cargo transportation on M-11 highway next year and simultaneous working out of regulatory control will be carried out within the framework of an experimental legal regime. The Ministry of Transport of Russia together with Digital Transport and Logistics Association, which is founded, among others, by Avtodor State Company, are preparing an application for the inclusion of the project in the "digital sandbox". Herewith, special hubs and a state center for unmanned traffic control will be created for the purposes of risk management during the movement of autonomous trucks and elimination of entry thereof into city traffic on Neva highway.
The Unmanned Logistics Corridors project is a part of the strategic initiatives of the Ministry of Transport of Russia. They were developed in order to execute the instructions of the President and the Government of the Russian Federation on preparation of the Strategy for Digital Transformation in Transport Industry.