Automotive group Daimler has cast a light on the future of the global truck industry by unveiling the prototype of the “Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025″, the world’s first driverless truck.

On Thursday, the highly advanced prototype was demonstrated to the media, industry experts and government agencies along a 30-kilometre stretch of the A14 autobahn near Magdeburg, west of Berlin. Daimler Trucks says the prototype, which could possibly be available in production form from as early as 2025.

The demonstration was carried out in controlled but realistic driving conditions, the truck often surrounded by several other vehicles. The heart of the truck is the ‘Highway Pilot’ system that allow for autonomous driving at a set speed of up to 85 kilometers (55 miles) per hour.  The truck monitors its surroundings with the help of four radar sensors plus a stereo camera, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technologies and makes perpetual little adjustments to its steering while maintaining a distance of 60 metres from the nearest vehicle ahead. The system also includes information about ongoing traffic, the lay of the area and road conditions to allow for autonomous driving.

See Self Driving Truck here.