The eFREIGHT Autonomous consortium has revealed the findings of a nine-month long study into autonomous heavy goods vehicles, identifying hub-to-hub trunking and intermodal shuttle operations as the most viable starting points for early UK deployment. Led by Voltempo alongside Connected Places Catapult and Berkeley Coachworks, the eFREIGHT Autonomous consortium secured funding in 2025 through the UK Government-backed CAM Pathfinder Feasibility Studies competition delivered by Innovate UK and Zenzic. Since the project launched last year, the consortium has carried out workshops, seminars and customer visits with operators across the freight sector, while engaging with every major European truck manufacturer, alongside the Department for Transport, the Department for Business and Trade, Transport Scotland, Logistics UK, the RHA and SMMT. The study concludes that autonomous freight is moving rapidly from pilot projects into early commercial operation internationally, while the UK is approaching a key legislative milestone through implementation of the Automated Vehicles Act 2024. Michael Boxwell, Corporate Development Officer at Voltempo, said: “Over the past nine months, we’ve focused on understanding where autonomous freight can deliver genuine operational value for UK fleets and what conditions are needed to make deployment practical. “What’s become clear is that this is no longer a future concept. The technology, legislation and commercial interest are all moving forward quickly, and with continued grant funding available to support trials, the UK is ideally positioned to take advantage and lead from the front.” The report identifies two priority use cases for early deployment. The first is hub-to-hub motorway trunking between logistics centres, and the second is short intermodal shuttle operations linking ports, railheads and distribution hubs. According to the consortium, these operations provide the clearest commercial and operational pathway because routes are predictable, interfaces can be controlled and benefits can be measured around productivity, utilisation, safety and emissions. As part