Fully autonomous heavy-duty truck operates on Belgian public road in world first

Tanya Weaver Mon 22 Sep 2025

Collected at: https://eandt.theiet.org/2025/09/22/fully-autonomous-heavy-duty-truck-operates-belgian-public-road-world-first

Swedish transport tech start-up Einride has driven a fully autonomous heavy-duty truck on a public road for the first time.

The real-world deployment took place at the port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium, one of Europe’s busiest logistics hubs.

According to Einride, this successful demonstration, which was permitted under the Belgian regulatory framework, highlights how autonomous systems can create smoother goods flows, safer operations and lower emissions.

Founded in 2016, Einride operates one of the largest fleets of heavy-duty electric trucks in the world, with pilot operations in the US, Europe and the Middle East. 

The fully electric trucks feature a purpose-built cab-less design. With no steering wheel or driver’s seat, the vehicles are monitored and controlled remotely. 

The milestone demonstration represents a government-sanctioned step into real-world operation.
 

Einride

Jean-Luc Crucke, Belgium’s minister of mobility, climate and ecological transition, said: “With the approval of the first autonomous level 4 truck in Belgium, we are taking a step toward safer transport and demonstrating that our country can play a pioneering role in the mobility of tomorrow.”

Henrik Green, CTO and general manager for Einride, said: “Now in our third European country, Einride continues to demonstrate success in securing permits and achieving first-of-their-kind deployments. Today in Antwerp, we showcase how public and private sectors can come together toward shared goals.

“European ports, such as Antwerp-Bruges, are essential for decarbonising logistics and securing our supply chains; and with the European Commission acknowledging autonomous vehicles as key to EU competitiveness, we’re proud to showcase a clear example of how innovation and regulation can be balanced for safer, more efficient and sustainable logistics.”

Andrea De Candido, connected, cooperative and automated mobility policy officer at the European Commission, said: “Through pioneering projects like this, we strengthen Europe’s position in future-oriented automated mobility solutions.”

Einride is participating in the MODI project, a European initiative to harmonise regulations and infrastructure, including autonomous electric vehicle demonstrations crossing borders, between Sweden and Norway for example.

In September 2024, Volvo announced that its electric semitruck is able to drive up to 600km on a single charge, representing a “breakthrough”  for long-distance cargo transport.