Monday, November 17th, 2025
The second informative webinar of the CCAM Logistics Task Force, organised under the MODI Project on 17th October, brought together over fifty participants from logistics, industry, research, and policy to explore how Europe can advance automation in road freight transport. The session focused on the initial findings from interviews on Societal Readiness and Business Models for Road Transport Automation, aiming to align stakeholder perspectives and validate early results.
Angjelo Andoni (ALICE) opened the discussion with an overview of the MODI project and the objectives of the Task Force, which connects the MODI consortium with the broader logistics community. He outlined MODI’s ambition to demonstrate Level 4 automation across five cross-border use cases, from port operations in the Netherlands to the Rotterdam–Oslo corridor, while developing harmonised infrastructure, viable business models, and socio-economic impact assessments.
Marianne Ryghaug and André Bekkevold Sande (SINTEF) presented the findings of more than twenty stakeholder interviews exploring societal acceptance and readiness for automation. They identified potential benefits such as efficiency, cost reduction, safety, sustainability, and workforce transformation, but also highlighted major challenges including regulatory uncertainty, high investment costs, and limited infrastructure readiness. In a live Slido poll, participants confirmed cost reduction and operational efficiency as the leading benefits, and regulatory uncertainty and commercial viability as the main barriers.
Mina Saghafian (TOI) then presented early insights on business models for automated logistics. Drawing on interviews and using the Business Model Canvas framework, she explained that successful adoption will depend on strong collaboration across the value chain, involving logistics operators, OEMs, infrastructure providers, and regulators. Mina noted that new, more flexible contract structures and service-based models could help lower investment barriers, while digital integration and secure data-sharing will be essential to create value through efficiency, transparency, and reliability. Participants agreed that efficiency remains the strongest driver for Level 4 automation and that contractual innovation will be key to accelerating uptake.
Closing the session, Angjelo Andoni outlined next steps, including a dedicated workshop on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and a third and final Task Force webinar in early 2026 to present consolidated results. The Task Force continues to play a vital role in connecting research, industry, and policy to ensure that automation strategies remain practical, inclusive, and aligned with the realities of logistics operations.
The full workshop report, including detailed figures, policy recommendations, and a complete record of the discussion, is available exclusively to ALICE members via the Knowledge Platform.