Connectivity: The key to driverless HGVs

Britain's road freight sector, along with the rest of the world, stands on the edge of major technological change. Autonomous systems, smart corridors, and intelligent highway furniture all promise safer, cleaner, and more efficient logistics. But for all the investment in vehicle sensors, AI, and automated controls, one piece of the puzzle is still underappreciated: connectivity.

If autonomous and highly assisted HGVs are to share the road safely, they must remain continuously linked to other vehicles, roadside sensors, and control systems. Without that lifeline connection, the very systems designed to enhance safety and reliability can become lethal. While Britain's mobile infrastructure has improved, it remains uneven across the strategic road network.

According to Ofcom's Connected Nations 2023[1] report, only around 84% of A and B roads in England have in-vehicle mobile voice service from all operators. Much of the recent progress is being driven by the Shared Rural Network[2], the joint government and industry programme aiming to reach 95% 4G geographic coverage by 2025. Ofcom's 2024 update[3] notes strong improvements across rural parts of Scotland and Wales, although some stretches still experience gaps.

Even where 4G is available, congestion and cell-handover can cause brief but meaningful dropouts, which remain a challenge for connected and autonomous systems. While that might be an irritation for a driver streaming traffic updates or listening to a podcast, for an autonomous 40-tonne vehicle travelling at speed, it could be life-threatening. Operating safely depends on continuous, millisecond-by-millisecond connectivity to exchange control data and telemetry, update maps and even coordinate braking.

Losing that seamless connection could have catastrophic implications. Zenzic, a UK organisation created by government and industry to accelerate connected and automated mobility, produces the national CAM Roadmap[4], which sets out what's needed to make driverless transport a commercial reality. It identifies seamless, high-reliability connectivity along road corridors as one of the most critical enablers for deploying autonomous freight systems.

Yet much of the conversation still centres on the vehicles themselves rather than the digital infrastructure required to support them. The freight sector's interest in automation is not simply about technology for its own sake. The UK still faces a shortfall[5] of around 50,000 HGV drivers, according to Logistics UK.

At the same time, operators are being asked to decarbonise, cut costs, and move goods more efficiently. Automation could significantly improve all three, allowing vehicles to operate longer hours, travel in optimised platoons and reduce idle time. But these benefits depend entirely on the network holding up under real-world conditions.

This becomes even more acute as autonomy enters the mainstream. The potential economic impact is also significant. Research by the Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles suggests that connected and automated logistics could add more than GBP40bn to the UK economy by 2035.

Realising that value depends on building communications networks that can deliver the required levels of performance and resilience nationwide. According to the DfT's latest domestic road freight survey, GB-registered HGVs moved around 1.59bn tonnes of goods in 2024 (up 2% on 2023), covering roughly 19.4bn vehicle kilometres and accounting for 168bn tonne-kilometres. Separately, the DfT's Transport Statistics show that in 2023, road transport accounted for about 81% of all domestic freight moved (by tonne-kilometres), with water at 12% and rail - 8%,

In other words, the reliability of Britain's communications networks underpins the movement of almost every physical good in the country. When connectivity drops, productivity follows. Cities and highways across the globe will need to embrace next-generation technologies that depend on real-time data to manage traffic, optimise energy use, enhance public safety, and support autonomous vehicles and drones.

Yet, no single network can meet the performance, reliability, and reach demanded by tomorrow's connected transport ecosystems. Mobile 5G brings high-speed data in urban and suburban areas, but coverage can fade on long-distance routes. Wi-Fi plays a role in depots and ports, while low-Earth-orbit satellite constellations are beginning to provide coverage in places that terrestrial networks cannot reach.

The future of connected freight will rely on an intelligent combination of these, using multiple channels at once to ensure data keeps flowing wherever the vehicle travels. That's why cutting-edge software defined networking, SD-WAN, delivers true hybrid connectivity, combining satellite, 4G/5G, Wi-Fi, and terrestrial broadband into one intelligent, self-optimising link. Testing the network of networks

One project delving into this space, is CELTIC-NEXT's SafeRoute-6G project, which is managed under the Eureka Network. Anticipating the transition to the next generation of communications, SafeRoute-6G represents a bold effort to harmonise connectivity solutions across a patchwork of nations, each with its own telecom infrastructure and regulations. This project brings together a diverse group of international partners and aims to create a unified framework for exchanging teleoperation data, roadside sensor information, and cross-border safety and hazard alerts.

A lorry departing the UK with teleoperated guidance should, in theory, switch networks effortlessly upon reaching continental Europe, and continue to do so without any loss of connectivity as it crosses many borders before arriving in Turkey or Finland. Central to SafeRoute-6G's mission, in which my team are centrally involved, is a commitment to building heterogeneous connectivity. Multiple technologies - C-V2X, 4G, 5G, satellite, and even local Wi-Fi - are orchestrated to guarantee 'always-on' data channels, especially crucial for autonomy that must remain functional beyond urban coverage footprints.

If a single link fails, data can be automatically rebalanced, preserving mission-critical flows to vehicles or the control centre. This hybrid approach is already being tested across several UK and European transport programmes, and in North America, and reflects the growing recognition that terrestrial networks alone cannot provide the consistent, corridor-wide performance required for autonomous operations. Coverage gaps, congestion and handover interruptions remain a reality on long-distance routes, creating points of vulnerability for systems that depend on uninterrupted data exchange.

By treating connectivity as a layered architecture, where non-terrestrial networks (NTN) including satellite step in to maintain service when ground networks fade, these programmes demonstrate how the remaining voids can be filled. The model aligns with redundancy already proven in other mission-critical environments, from maritime satellite service providers and drones inspecting national infrastructure, to connecting hard-to-reach rural communities and Hybrid Connex for UK first responders, all using the same underlying bonding technology that enables users to bring their own resilient network as they travel. Progress in the haulage sector and others will depend on collaboration.

Telecommunications providers, logistics operators, and vehicle manufacturers must work together to create standards that ensure interoperability and reliability. The challenge is not only technical but organisational, as freight corridors, mobile networks and local infrastructure are managed by different authorities with their own investment priorities. Several UK trials have already offered valuable insights.

The Midlands Future Mobility testbed[6], covering more than 200km of public roads, has demonstrated how connected vehicles can improve traffic flow and incident response. At the Port of Felixstowe, the 5G Logistics project showed how near real-time communications can optimise container handling and coordination between vehicles. The next step is to apply those lessons to national haulage routes, ensuring that the infrastructure between ports, distribution hubs and motorways offers the same level of reliability.

The National Highways Digital Roads programme is also exploring how connectivity can underpin safety and maintenance planning, using sensors and connected vehicles to feed live data into control centres. These developments point towards a future where physical and digital infrastructure operate as one system. It is tempting to think of connectivity as something the telecoms industry will solve on its own, but logistics operators and policymakers must also take an active role.

Investment in resilient and hybrid communications should be viewed as a fundamental part of freight strategy, not an optional extra. It requires planning, regulation and funding frameworks that treat connectivity as critical infrastructure. From our work at Livewire Digital supporting autonomous system developments such as SafeRoute-6G, it is clear that downtime is more than an inconvenience.

In sectors where safety and reliability matter, loss of connectivity is a risk factor. For freight, the same principle applies. Continuous, resilient communications are what make autonomy practical.

As Britain moves closer to connected freight corridors and increasingly automated vehicles, it is worth remembering that the smartest truck is only as good as the network supporting it. Connectivity will determine whether autonomous HGVs progress beyond test tracks and pilot zones, and whether the UK can truly lead in next-generation road transport. Building that foundation will require collaboration, long-term investment, and a shift in mindset.

The road to driverless freight is not just about sensors, software, and vehicles. It begins with the invisible threads of communication that bind them and our collective infrastructure all together. Underpinned by software: an intelligent network of networks.

Tristan Wood, founder and chief executive officer of Livewire Digital, a UK-based specialist in mission-critical connectivity for autonomous systems, transport, and defence sectors[7]

References

1. ^ Connected Nations 2023 (www.ofcom.org.uk)
2. ^ Shared Rural Network (www.gov.uk)
3. ^ 2024 update (www.gov.uk)
4. ^ CAM Roadmap (zenzic.io)
5. ^ shortfall (logistics.org.uk)
6. ^ testbed (midlandsfuturemobility.co.uk)
7. ^ Livewire Digital (www.livewire.co.uk)