Truck Platooning Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Truck Platooning Market is projected to expand from USD 1.14 Billion in 2025 to USD 3.15 Billion by 2031, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.46%. Truck platooning involves connecting multiple commercial vehicles into a convoy through automated systems and connectivity technology, which synchronizes the acceleration and braking of follower trucks with the lead vehicle. The primary driver for this market is the necessity for fuel efficiency, as reduced aerodynamic drag in tight formations significantly decreases diesel consumption and carbon emissions. Furthermore, the technology offers a solution to operational limitations caused by severe workforce shortages. According to the International Road Transport Union, approximately 3.6 million truck driver positions were unfilled across 36 surveyed countries in 2024, underscoring the urgent commercial incentive for automation tools that enhance existing labor productivity.

However, market growth faces a major obstacle due to regulatory fragmentation and inconsistent legislation across various jurisdictions. Because freight routes frequently traverse international or state borders, the lack of a standardized legal framework addressing liability, minimum following distances, and testing protocols creates a complicated compliance landscape. This legislative disparity delays widespread commercial adoption, as industry stakeholders struggle to navigate conflicting traffic laws while attempting to scale operations globally.

Market Drivers

The significant reduction in fuel consumption and operational costs serves as the primary economic catalyst for the global truck platooning market. By tethering vehicles in close proximity, platooning systems leverage aerodynamic shadowing to minimize air drag for trailing trucks, resulting in lower diesel usage and improved profit margins for fleet operators.

This cost efficiency is vital for logistics companies operating on thin margins, enabling substantial savings on their largest variable expense. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s 'ITS Deployment Evaluation' in March 2024, an AI-powered automated truck platooning model demonstrated the ability to reduce average fuel consumption by 10% and overall freight delivery costs by 26.5% compared to standard line-haul delivery. Such measurable financial benefits encourage rapid adoption among long-haul carriers aiming to optimize expenditure per mile.

Concurrently, advancements in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication and autonomous technologies are transitioning platooning from theoretical concepts to viable commercial deployments. Modern systems now incorporate low-latency data exchange and redundant sensor suites, enabling trucks to react instantaneously to the lead vehicle's braking, thereby ensuring safety at high speeds.

This technological maturity is evidenced by increased real-world validation; according to Kodiak Robotics' '2024 Recap' published in January 2025, the company successfully completed 900 autonomous deliveries for Martin Brower, validating the reliability of self-driving systems essential for future platooning configurations. These innovations are becoming a strategic necessity to offset labor challenges, as automation helps mitigate workforce constraints. As reported by the American Trucking Associations in November 2024, the U.S. sector faced a shortage of approximately 60,000 drivers in 2024, highlighting the market's reliance on advanced technology to maintain capacity.

Market Challenges

Regulatory fragmentation and legislative inconsistency across different jurisdictions constitute a substantial barrier hindering the growth of the Global Truck Platooning Market. Since commercial freight corridors routinely cross state and international borders, the absence of a unified legal framework creates a disjointed operating environment where essential rules regarding liability, minimum following distances, and data privacy vary significantly. This lack of harmonization compels technology providers and fleet operators to navigate a complex patchwork of compliance requirements, increasing operational costs and introducing legal risks that deter scalable investment. Consequently, stakeholders are unable to deploy standardized platooning systems along entire transport routes, effectively confining the technology to limited pilot programs rather than widespread commercial use.

The negative impact of this uncertain legal environment is reflected in recent industry performance data, which indicates broader hesitation within the commercial vehicle sector. According to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, new truck registrations in the European Union declined by 6.3 percent in 2024, a contraction the organization attributed in part to a complex regulatory landscape that continues to fuel business uncertainty. This statistical evidence underscores how legislative unpredictability directly stifles the capital investment required for fleet renewal, thereby delaying the integration of advanced automation technologies like platooning into the global logistics infrastructure.

Market Trends

The establishment of dedicated platooning freight corridors is reshaping the market by creating segregated infrastructure that bypasses the complexities of mixed-traffic environments. Governments and private consortiums are increasingly designating specific highway lanes equipped with Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) sensors to support high-speed, synchronized convoys, thereby mitigating the safety risks and regulatory hurdles often associated with public roads. This infrastructure-led approach is already yielding tangible operational improvements by allowing continuous autonomous operation between hubs. According to the North American Council for Freight Efficiency in 'The State of Autonomous Trucking in 2025: A Recap of 2024' (January 2025), the launch of the inaugural fully autonomous freight corridor connecting major distribution hubs resulted in a 25% reduction in transit times compared to conventional routes.

Simultaneously, the integration of 5G-enabled Cellular V2X (C-V2X) communication is replacing legacy Wi-Fi-based protocols, providing the ultra-low latency required for safe, tight-formation platooning. Unlike previous standards, C-V2X leverages cellular networks to maintain robust connectivity even in non-line-of-sight conditions, allowing following trucks to react to lead vehicle braking events within milliseconds. This technological shift is essential for enabling the "Critical IoT" applications that autonomous logistics demand. According to the Ericsson Mobility Report from June 2024, the number of Broadband and Critical IoT connections - the specific category encompassing the high-performance networks essential for autonomous transport reliability - is expected to reach 2.6 billion by the end of 2025.

Key Players Profiled in the Truck Platooning Market

• Daimler Truck AG
• AB Volvo
• Paccar Inc.
• Volkswagen Group
• Hyundai Motor Company
• Iveco Group
• ZF Friedrichshafen AG
• Continental AG
• Robert Bosch GmbH
• Knorr-Bremse AG
• NXP Semiconductors N.V.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Truck Platooning Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Truck Platooning Market, by Technology Type:

• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Forward Collision Avoidance
• Lane Departure Warning
• Active Brake Assist

Truck Platooning Market, by Infrastructure Type:

• V2V
• V2I
• GPS

Truck Platooning Market, by Autonomous Level:

• Semi-autonomous
• Full-autonomous

Truck Platooning Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Truck Platooning Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

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