Peloton Technology // User Interface and System Behavior

Project/

Platooning is where trucks draft each other safely, to save fuel. By connecting the trucks with a radio link, trucks in a platoon accelerate and decelerate together, while the system manages the gap between the trucks. When the lead driver in a platoon hits the brakes, the brakes in the follow truck go on before the lead truck even starts to slow down.  The system maintains a gap of about 50 feet between the trucks. When they platoon, the lead truck saves about 4.5% on fuel, while the follow truck saves about 10%. That’s a lot of fuel, when you consider that trucks use almost a quarter of all the energy used for transportation in the US.

But when we talked to drivers about platooning, we got a lot of pushback. Based on their experience with collision mitigation and drive cams, drivers saw truck technology as a nanny for incompetent drivers. In a profession that prides itself on skill and self reliance, that does not go over well. Over the course of three years, we conducted extensive user research to set experience design targets and test hypotheses with real drivers.

How could we create a platooning experience that made drivers feel like skilled professionals using a tool? How could we foster a sense of intuitive control, so that the system reacts the way that drivers expect? How could we provide the seat of the pants feedback that drivers depend on? At every step in the design of the system behavior and user interface, we kept that voice of the driver with us.

Result/

When the Platoon Pro pilot was finally rolled out for trial, drivers trying it for the first time told us that it platooning felt pretty much like driving. Their collective “meh” was a pure win for the UX team. The explainer videos and other training materials we developed preempted many common negative assumptions about the system. Following that up with an intuitive, drama-free, experience behind the wheel won over the drivers that tried Platoon Pro.