Want the latest news from Swansea sent straight to your inbox? Don't miss anything from your city! Sign up for regular updates Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Driverless lorries could soon be travelling up and down the M4 past Swansea , and even as far as Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire .

Convoys of self-driving drone lorries are expected to trialled on the nation's roads next year, with the M4 between Swindon and Swansea seen as one of the safest to introduce the new tech.

The plans could have major ramifications for the freight industry as well as road safety.

The study, carried out by INRIX, one of the world's top traffic monitoring organisations, ranked the top-five commercial corridors in the UK according to freight volume, congestion and road length.

(Image: Mercedes Handout)

The M4 to Swansea was the third most viable stretch of motorway for the highly automated vehicles (HAVs) or self-driving lorries.

Top of the list was the A1 between Sheffield and Edinburgh.

The study also looked at which routes could offer the greatest commercial return, and those that could improve their safety.

The route between Manchester and Glasgow was found to be the most commercially valuable, while the M25 around London would see the biggest improvements in safety with the introduction of autonomous vehicles.

The report said: "The M25 circling London recorded significantly higher levels of dangerous slowdown incidents per mile than any other corridor.

"Its high-risk profile coupled with its freight volumes means it could benefit most from the adoption of HAV safety technology.

"The M6 from approximately Coventry to Manchester places second due to its freight volume nearly matching the M25 and an incident rate more than 20% higher than the next closest."

(Image: MEDIA WALES-TRINITY MIRROR)

(Image: Robert Melen)

The A40 between Oxford and Haverfordwest, one of the longest routes in the study, was also considered in the study. It found that significant commercial returns could be had from HAVs.

Transport corridors measuring longer than 100 miles (161km) with low congestion are the most suited to HAVs, as they can offer greater commercial benefits by greatly reducing costs.

However, routes with busy traffic and frequent congestion caused by crashes, slowdowns and construction could benefit from improved safety if HAVs are deployed onto the road.

This is because the driverless technology has the ability prepare for and react more quickly to dangerous conditions than human drivers.

Top 5 Routes in the UK for Driverless Lorries 1. A1 Sheffield - Edinburgh 2. M5 | A38 Plymouth-Birmingham 3. M4 Swindon - Swansea 4. M25 London Orbital 5. M6 Birmingham - Manchester

The current practice believed to be looked at for future driverless lorries is three wirelessly connected HGVs will travel in convoy, with acceleration and braking controlled by the lead vehicle.

There is a growing call for the deployment of driverless vehicles on our roads.

In 2017, there was a shortage of 52,000 qualified HGV lorry operators in the UK. With fewer British drivers, more and more drivers are coming from Europe, but Brexit may make this more difficult.

Declining driver numbers, coupled with increased demand, may force wages to be increased. The HAV technology has potential to help keep rising labour costs down.