Fully autonomous tractor--trailer systems are increasingly deployed in logistics, agriculture, and industrial environments, where precise and robust path-tracking capabilities are essential. However, the articulation between the tractor and the trailer introduces additional nonlinearities and significantly complicates lateral and longitudinal control, particularly during reversing maneuvers. This paper introduces a novel path-tracking algorithm specifically designed for articulated vehicles with a single trailer. The proposed method combines a lateral control law applied at the trailer level with a short-horizon predictive adjustment of the tractor steering angle, ensuring stable convergence toward the desired path in both forward and backward motion. The approach is geometry-based and requires no per-vehicle calibration or training. Simulation studies in a high-fidelity physics simulator demonstrate the ability of the controller to match or outperform classical and state-of-the-art methods in terms of accuracy, stability, and robustness to disturbances.
Figures & tables
Fig. 1: Extended kinematic bicycle model integrating the trailer, δ is the tractor steering angle and ϕ is the tractor-trailer angle
ϕdes←flat(X)
Algorithm 1 Tractor–Trailer Path-Tracking Iterative Control
Fig. 2: Statechart of the selection of a driving mode according to ϕdes
Fig. 3: Screenshot of the BeamNG.tech simulator of the TTS following a trajectory for a docking maneuver
Parameter
Value
Tractor wheelbase
2.93 m
Trailer wheelbase
6.30 m
Hitch offset ( h1 in Fig. 1 )
0.14 m
Steering angle rate limit
40°/s
TABLE I: Simulation parameters
Fig. 4: Lateral error (m) for the straight-line trajectory.
Fig. 5: Heading error (rad) for the straight-line trajectory.
Fig. 6: Lateral error (m) for the circular trajectory.
Fig. 7: Heading error (rad) for the circular trajectory.
Fig. 8: Lateral error (m) for the docking trajectory. The shaded bands indicate the forward and backward driving phases.
Fig. 9: Heading error (rad) for the docking trajectory.
This paper presents a novel non-linear mathematical model of an articulated tractor-trailer system that can be used, in combination with receding horizon techniques, to improve the performance of path tracking tasks of articulated systems. Due to its dual steering mechanisms, this type of vehicle can be very useful in precision agriculture, particularly for seeding, spraying and harvesting in small fields. The articulated tractor-trailer system model was embedded within a non-linear model predictive controller and the trailer position was monitored. When the kinematic of the trailer was considered, the deviation of trailer's position was reduced substantially alongside not only straight paths but also in headland turns. Using the proposed mathematical model, we were able to control the trailer's position itself rather than the tractor's position. The Robot Operating System (ROS) framework and Gazebo simulator were used to perform realistic simulations examples.
Marina Murillo, Guido Sanchez, Nestor Deniz +2
Research Institute for Signals, Systems and Computational Intelligence, sinc(i), FICH-UNL/CONICET, Ciudad Universitaria UNL, 4◦piso FICH, (S3000) Santa Fe, Argentina.
This paper presents a scalable lateral control framework for robust path tracking of single-body and articulated autonomous vehicles at high speeds. A clothoid-based controller is extended with three key adaptations: 1) an integrated tangential check and Frechet distance method for optimized lookahead and oscillation mitigation; 2) real-time trajectory segment classification for dynamic adjustment of the lookahead search range; and 3) a dual-adaptive, rate-controlled lookahead mechanism responsive to cross-track error and upcoming path geometry. To support different vehicle configurations, the framework also incorporates flexible tracking point selection and curvature-to-steering lookup tables, enabling control of points such as the tractor rear axle, hitch point, or trailer-related locations without changing the core control architecture. The controller is evaluated using high-fidelity TruckSim and Simulink simulations for both standalone and articulated vehicles across dual lane changes and winding-road scenarios. Results demonstrate stable high-speed path tracking, reduced oscillations, effective lookahead adaptation, low cross-track errors, and acceptable lateral acceleration across different vehicle configurations. The results support the use of a unified lateral control architecture that can scale from single-body to articulated autonomous vehicles.
Aashish Shaju, Steve Southward, Mehdi Ahmadian
Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety (CVeSS), Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA
Reverse parking maneuvering of a vehicle with trailer system is a difficult task to complete for human drivers due to the multi-body nature of the system and the unintuitive controls required to orientate the trailer properly. The problem is complicated with the presence of other vehicles that the trailer and its connected vehicle must avoid during the reverse parking maneuver. While path planning methods in reverse motion for vehicles with trailers exist, there is a lack of results that also offer collision avoidance as part of the algorithm. This paper hence proposes a modified Hybrid A*-based algorithm that can accommodate the vehicle-trailer system as well as collision avoidance considerations with the other vehicles and obstacles in the parking environment. One of the novelties of this proposed approach is its adaptability to the vehicle with trailer system, where limits of usable steering input that prevent the occurrence of jackknife incidents vary with respect to system configuration. The other contribution is the addition of the collision avoidance functionality which the standard Hybrid A* algorithm lacks. The method is developed and presented first, followed by simulation case studies to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach.
Automated Driving Lab, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA · Hyundai America Technical Center, Inc. (HATCI), Superior Township, MI 48198, USA