Russian logistics is entering a new technological stage: the federal highway M-12 Vostok is becoming one of the key platforms for the introduction of unmanned cargo transportation. The test flight of the autonomous truck, conducted by the Magnit retailer together with the Navio technology company, confirmed the practical readiness of the technology to scale.
As part of the tests, the unmanned truck traveled the route from the distribution center in St. Petersburg to Zelenodolsk and back, covering about 3,000 kilometers. The company plans to make such flights regular in 2026. The vehicle was controlled by an AI driver, while on certain sections of the M-11 Neva highway, the Central Ring Road and the M-12 Vostok, traffic was completely autonomous.
According to the results of the test, the participants recorded a significant effect on logistics. Unmanned vehicles without a driver in the cabin have reduced the delivery time on the St. Petersburg - Kazan route by almost 2.5 times. For comparison, a standard flight with a driver takes about 58 hours, while an autonomous truck completed the task in less than a day.
Fyodor Pavlovsky, Magnit's Deputy General Director for Supply Chains and Logistics, emphasized the economic impact of the technology.:
"Autonomous cargo transportation makes it possible to increase logistics efficiency, including by increasing daily mileage and fleet turnover, and with large-scale implementation, this technology will help reduce the final cost of products."
Andrey Pakhomov, head of the Unmanned Logistics Corridors project at NatCar, explained that now, according to the requirements of the regulations, a test driver must be present in the cockpit. However, the Ministry of Transport is already allowing the transition to the next level of autonomy, in which a person can leave the cabin. Earlier, Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin stated that the adoption of the law on highly automated vehicles would allow the launch of fully unmanned vehicles from approximately 2027.
To improve safety, KAMAZ PJSC has implemented the Virtual Landfill program, where emergency scenarios are modeled and worked out, as well as algorithms for the behavior of autonomous trucks. The experimental legal regime under which drones are allowed on public roads has been extended until November 2028 and is already in effect in 13 regions of Russia.
According to the Ministry of Transport, about 90 unmanned trucks are currently operating on Russian highways, and their combined mileage has exceeded 9.5 million km. In the future, the M-12 highway should become one of the key corridors for autonomous logistics between the central part of the country and the Volga region.
