XI'AN, June 17 (Xinhua) -- Climbing into the cab of a new-energy intelligent heavy-duty truck and pressing the start button, one is greeted not by the familiar roar of a diesel engine, but by a calm voice prompt. The nearly four-meter-tall vehicle, weighing tens of tonnes, comes to life as the steering wheel smoothly turns itself.
At a testing base in Xi'an, capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, the giant rolled quietly out of its parking space, effortlessly spotting obstacles and navigating around them with impressive precision.
As it approached a curve, it automatically adjusted its trajectory. A screen displayed real-time data such as lane markings, surrounding vehicles and potential hazards.
The truck is one of a fleet of intelligent heavy-duty trucks already in commercial operation by Shaanxi Automobile Holding Group Co., Ltd (SAHG), a Fortune China 500 company specializing in heavy-duty trucks and one of the country's first enterprises to secure a permit for testing intelligent truck driving.
In recent years, the commercialization of China's intelligent-driving vehicles has frequently captured public attention. Beyond the spotlight, intelligent heavy-duty trucks are also making their way into frontline economic sectors, including mines, ports, factories and construction sites, with their applications continuing to expand.
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, said Bao Weidong, deputy director of SAHG's automotive engineering research institute.
China is the perfect proving ground for intelligent heavy-duty trucks, paving the way for their swift rollout and technological advancement.
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. That's exactly where intelligent driving technology steps in, with its main mission being to deliver a safer, more comfortable journey for everyone on the road.
Tian Lei, 45, has spent more than a decade on the road as a truck driver. In the past, a single trip could leave his shoulders and lower back sore for days. Now, his new-energy heavy-duty truck is equipped with a driver-assistance system. On some stretches of highway, the vehicle can automatically maintain a safe following distance and keep to its lane, easing the sustained strain of highway driving.
"At first I didn't dare to use the system, but trying it on long trips, I was no longer that tired," said Tian. "I don't think the machine is replacing my role as a driver. It's sharing part of the workload when I'm exhausted."
Another practical application scenario for the autonomous truck is on display at a mail distribution center in western China, where this technology is driving efficiency to new heights.
A 17-meter-long driverless transfer trailer slowly reverses into a narrow loading bay. In the past, such a maneuver would require an experienced driver to make repeated adjustments. Today, the steering wheel turns on its own as the vehicle autonomously navigates obstacles and successfully parks itself.
"During peak periods, drivers used to be in great shortage. Now, a single safety operator in the control room can dispatch multiple vehicles simultaneously," said a director of the center.
Beyond this single case, similar applications are emerging across China. At ports, unmanned container trucks handle container transfer operations; at mining sites, unmanned mining trucks operate around the clock; and in logistics parks, autonomous vehicles are used for short-haul transportation.
Technologies that were once confined to labs and testing fields are now entering real-world production settings, supported by China's vast road freight market and a wide range of industrial transport scenarios.
High-frequency transport demand from ports, mines and logistics parks, together with the rapid development of 5G, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System and the new energy industrial chain, is further accelerating the commercialization of intelligent heavy-duty trucks.
China has pledged to advance the transformation of a more efficient, greener, and smarter transportation and logistics sector, according to the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030). The growing deployment of intelligent heavy-duty trucks reflects a broader trend.
For truck drivers who spend long hours on the road, the evolution of intelligent driving technology is not only about improving transport efficiency. It is also a vivid example of how scientific and technological progress can make a difference in people's everyday work, reducing driver fatigue, improving working conditions and enhancing safety.
However, 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, according to Bao.
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, he added. ■
