NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An option for truckers in Tennessee could mean safer roads for all of us and less pollution. It’s called vehicle platooning.

Officials with the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) said vehicle platooning, which began in the state in 2017, could save trucking companies anywhere from five to 10% in fuel costs for 18-wheelers and trucks as they travel along highways while moving freight.

“Two vehicles that are connected electronically that are going behind each other in such a short distance that the airflow goes from one vehicle to the next,” said Daniel Pallme, the assistant bureau chief of freight & logistics for TDOT.

It’s a push/pull model that allows for greater fuel efficiency, less fuel consumption, and less pollution as air travels from one vehicle to another using wireless communication and sensor technology. But on busy Tennessee highways, could this method of large trucks traveling close together lead to congestion?

Fortunately, transportation leaders said it’s not likely.

“If you think about it in the state of Tennessee, probably no trucks are going to platoon around or close to the center of Nashville; it’s going to be more on your outskirts where there’s less congestion,” said Pallme.

There are still drivers in both vehicles; neither are autonomous and there are safety mechanisms involved, including fuel mitigation, lane warning systems and even braking as vehicles travel at high rates of speed with heavy freight.

“This connectivity that they have between the two cabs of the trucks is why they brake and it’s not an issue for them to run into the previous truck because they’re all connected electronically. So the safety factor is actually more efficient when they’re engaged,” said Pallme.

Platooning does not have any added cost cutting to those in regular cars and is more commonly used by trucks and big rigs. It can also reduce the impact between vehicles in the case of a crash, providing reaction times much faster than humans.

As highways across Tennessee expand, TDOT officials told News 2 it may be a smart choice for travel, but prices at the pump will be a major factor.

“If fuel continues to rise, than the formula changes to where its more beneficial to trucking companies to start using platooning. If fuel decreases, it’s less beneficial for companies to implement platooning strategies,” said Pallme.