- The test will be conducted with an enhanced IVECO heavy-duty truck integrated with PlusDrive® technology
- The new vehicle designed for series production will deliver dm-drogerie markt’s goods for DSV to demonstrate improved safety and efficiency on the road
IVECO, the commercial vehicle brand of Iveco Group, and Plus announced the start of their semi-automated truck pilot in Germany with dm-drogerie markt (Europe’s largest home and personal care retail company) and DSV (one of the world’s leading transport and logistics providers). After several months of stringent testing and validation, the program uses a new production intent design of the IVECO S-Way heavy-duty truck equipped with Plus’s driver-supervised highly automated driving software, PlusDrive®.
The test runs on the route between the dm distribution center in Waghäusel and the DSV distribution center in Gernsheim. In the first phase, IVECO drivers will conduct the test accompanied by DSV drivers for training. Subsequently, trained drivers will operate the vehicles independently.
By delivering commercial freight, the program will gather real-world data on operational benefits. Benefits demonstrated in other global PlusDrive deployments include reduced driver fatigue, improved road safety, and increased fuel efficiency which decreases carbon emissions.
The latest-generation PlusDrive-enabled IVECO S-Way has been optimized for series production with advanced integrated sensors. Lidar is optional for the vision-centric perception system. PlusDrive delivers highly automated driving features including lane centering, cut-in handling, lane merges, driver-initiated or system-suggested lane changes, traffic jam assist, and nudging—all under driver supervision.
DSV and dm-drogerie markt have partnered since 1986. In 2021, they jointly signed a declaration to promote innovative and sustainable projects.
“The start of this project will make a significant contribution to the comfort and safety of drivers and ensure that our supply chains run more smoothly and reliably.”
— Christian Bodi, dm Managing Director for Logistics
DSV and dm are the first companies in Germany to test semi-autonomous driver assistance solutions in trucks in Europe.
“A decarbonized future requires different technology innovations for different use cases.”
— Peter Matthiesen, Senior Director of Group Innovation and Truck Technology at DSV
“Data and feedback from customer pilots are key to helping us create innovative and sustainable products.”
— Marco Liccardo, Chief Technology & Digital Officer at Iveco Group
“This new milestone of having a production intent design of the PlusDrive-enabled S-Way ready for the pilot resulted from ongoing tight collaboration between the Plus and IVECO teams.”
— Shawn Kerrigan, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder at Plus
About dm-drogerie markt
More than 80,000 employees work at dm across more than 4,000 stores in 14 European countries, generating 15.9 billion euros in sales (2021/2022). In Germany alone, 51,000 employees generated 11.4 billion euros in sales (2022/2023).
About DSV
DSV is a global transportation and logistics service provider headquartered in Hedehusene, Denmark, operating in more than 80 countries across six continents.
About IVECO
IVECO is a brand of Iveco Group N.V. that designs, manufactures, and markets commercial vehicles. It operates 7 manufacturing plants and 8 research and development centers with 3,500 sales and service points in over 160 countries.