Pavement fatigue performance under mixed traffic with autonomous trucks

The rise of Autonomous Trucks (ATs) offers numerous advantages. However, their impact on pavement performance remains a less explored area. While recent investigations explore the potential effects of AV-induced lateral wander modification, these generally assume completely autonomous traffic or do not consider the transition period when AVs and human-driven vehicles coexist on roads. This research aims to evaluate and quantify the impact of different levels of penetration of ATs on pavement performance of existing road networks. On these terms, the fatigue cracking performance index of two in-service pavement sections was assessed under different traffic compositions and wheel wander distributions. Analysis results showed that wheel wander distribution plays a critical role in determining fatigue performance. Also, the rate of AT integration affects the pace of pavement deterioration or extension. The uniform wheel wander was found to prolong pavement life while the zero-wheel wander had an adverse effect.