CHAPTA Webinar Recording Available for Viewing.
Thanks to those who have participated in webinars to date. Please stay tuned to this site for more information. View the recording
Resources
CHAPTA Flyer (pdf)
CHAPTA Presentation (pdf)
Webinar Presentation (pdf)
CHAPTA WhitePaper (pdf)
Contact
Craig Shankwitz – WTI Senior Research Engineer
Ph: 406‐994‐6030
Email: craig.shankwitz@montana.edu
Collaborative Human-Automated Platooned Truck Alliance (CHAPTA)
| WE can follow… | …WE can innovate and lead… | …or WE can be left behind. |
| Asia is operating collaborative human – automated truck platoons. Europe is moving truck platoons, from multiple manufacturers, across borders. | U.S.A. can take the lead by integrating fully autonomous trucks with human‐driven or human-supervised trucks in a collaborative platoon on conventional roadways: save $17.2B annually with 60% platooning duty cycle. | • Fleets late to operate in a collaborative platoon face a HUGE competitive disadvantage. • Collaborative savings achieved are 486% higher than aero savings alone. |
Realize Economic Savings
| Assumed Aerodynamic Savings | Percentage of TOTAL OPERATING COSTS saved: (aerodynamics + driverless trucks) | ||||||
| Number of Human Driver/SupervisedTrucks in the Platoon | |||||||
| Lead Truck | Followers | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 5% | 10%-20% | 2%-4% | 9%-11% | 16%-18% | 23%-25% | ||
Address Truck Driver Shortage
Collaborative human – automated truck platoons begin to address the 50% nationwide driver shortage.
What is CHAPTA? | Stakeholders Include | |
| CHAPTA is a pre-competitive research effort led by the Western Transportation Institute at Montana State University to unite stakeholders to cooperatively and intelligently introduce driverless technology to long-haul truck fleets. | • Fleet operators • Truck OEMs • Tiered suppliers • Technology providers • Insurance companies • Economists and financiers • Standards organizations • FMCSA –US DOT • State DOTs • Warehousers • Retailers • Enforcement | |
CHAPTA Goals | ||
| Promote: U.S. Competitiveness. Ensure: Compatibility with existing highway traffic. Focus: Human factors, safety and operations, and workforce development. Address: Institutional issues affecting deployment. |
Human Factors | Operations | Workforce Development | ||
| • What personality types are suited for platooning, how to recruit, how to screen? • How should autonomous truck platoons behave to instill trust and ensure comfort? • What platoon information, how much, frequency, and mode (audible, tactile, graphical) should be provided to each driver? | • What is the maximum size of a workable platoon considering human workload, economics, and safety? • How does the size of the platoon affect non‐platooned traffic with respect to efficiency, and safety? • Insurance and liability. • Specific behavior at entrance and exit ramps. | • Fleets late to operate in a collaborative platoon face a HUGE competitive disadvantage. • Collaborative savings achieved are 486% higher than aero savings alone. |
Can you afford to be left behind?
Autonomy WILL happen-join CHAPTA and stay ahead of the curve.
| Levels of participation | |||
Annual Cost | Governance Votes | ||
| $50K | 4 | ||
| $40K | 3 | ||
| $30K | 2 | ||
| $20K | 1 | ||
WTI Research Capabilities | |||
| Driving Simulator | Full-scale road testing and validation site | ||
 |  | ||
| • Personality evaluation. • Trust and comfort. • Information Studies: content, modes and rates. | • Braking and acceleration. • High speeds. • Machines to produce rain, snow, mist and ice for adverse conditions. |
Research Experience
Autonomous Bus Testing
This video shows RTK GPS-based bus guidance on a narrow shoulder between Apple Valley and downtown Minneapolis, MN. Four views are upper left: View through Head Up Display showing virtual lane markers in comparison to actual lane boundaries and forward collision awareness (white boxes). This video was taken on 02 January 2010; the buses have been in revenue service since August 2010.
“Gang Plowing” or “Snowplow Platoons”
Avalanche Road.
CHAPTA investigator Shankwitz led the development of an RTK GPS0-based Drive Assist System which allows snowplow operators to clear roads in low-to-zero visibility conditions. The system featured here clears roads on the Thompson Pass near Valdez, AK, and is one of three current deployments (others being in California and Minnesota). This system was first installed on 2 vehicles in 2003; three more were added to the fleet in 2011. Courtesy of the Speed Channel.
Snowplow location detection and display.
CHAPTA investigator Shankwitz led the development of an RTK GPS0-based Drive Assist System which allows snowplow operators to clear roads in low-to-zero visibility conditions. The system featured here clears roads on the Thompson Pass near Valdez, AK, and is one of three current deployments (others being in California and Minnesota). This system was first installed on 2 vehicles in 2003; three more were added to the fleet in 2011. Courtesy of the History Channel.