https://en.people.cn/n3/2026/0618/c90000-20468844.html

According to a GlobalData report, the number of autonomous haul trucks in operation worldwide has risen from 2,080 in July 2024 to 3,832 in July 2025. China ranked first worldwide with 2,108 vehicles. Intelligent trucks are mainly deployed commercially in two scenarios: long-haul highway logistics, where drivers are assisted by intelligent driving systems, and closed environments such as ports, mines and logistics parks, where vehicles operate autonomously.

As a nation with strong economic vitality, China is home to one of the world’s largest road freight markets. In 2025, nearly 43.3 billion tonnes of cargo were transported by road across the country. Behind this vast logistics network are tens of millions of truck drivers who keep goods moving every day. For many of them, the work means spending endless hours behind the wheel. Fatigue caused by prolonged driving and the ever-present risk of accidents in complex traffic conditions remain challenges the industry has yet to overcome.

Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group Co., Ltd (SAHG), a Fortune China 500 company specializes in heavy-duty trucks and is one of China’s first enterprises to secure a permit for testing intelligent truck driving.

Despite broad deployment in specific scenarios and early progress in commercial operations on open roads, intelligent heavy-duty trucks remain in a transition phase, from pilot demonstrations to large-scale commercialization. Issues such as the opening of road access, cross-regional regulatory coordination, perception capabilities in complex scenarios, and liability determination mechanisms of the vehicle still need to be further improved.