Volvo Group Venture Capital is investing in Madrid-headquartered Trucksters, which uses big data and artificial intelligence in a relay system that keeps longhaul trucks on the move. And that could potentially help address range-related concerns with electric vehicles.

Drivers for a Trucksters carrier haul a load for nine hours – the maximum allowed before a mandated rest period in Europe – at which time they hand the trailer over to another driver who completes the trip. After completing their 11-hour rest period, the first driver hooks up to a different trailer and returns to their origin with another load.

“We are impressed with what Trucksters have accomplished and see that Volvo Group can add considerable strategic value to the development of their business,” Volvo Group Venture Capital president Martin Witt said in a press release. “With a growing need for freight transportation, relay systems can provide a solid structure for electrification for longhaul transportation as well as for autonomous solutions in the future.”

Terms of the investment were not disclosed.

Trucksters manages four corridors between Spain, western Europe, eastern Europe, and the U.K., with fixed relay points along the way.

“Our collaboration will allow us to implement technological advances that will improve safety in freight transport and, at the same time, encourage the adoption of electric trucks for a more sustainable industry,” said Trucksters CEO Luis Bardaji.

TIR could help landlocked countries: IRU

In other global trucking news: A global transit system known as TIR is being highlighted as a key tool for 32 landlocked developing countries that don’t have direct access to the sea. But it hasn’t been embraced by any new countries since being adopted more than a decade ago.

“If landlocked developing countries are serious about achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals and fostering trade, environmental protection and social equity, it is time for action and to implement the UN TIR Convention,” IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto said in a press release. IRU manages the guaranteed payment of suspended duties and taxes under TIR.

Sealed trucks or containers with the system’s familiar blue plates travel more easily between different countries thanks to an electronic pre-declaration file sent to multiple customs offices and border crossings.

About 1 million TIR permits are issued each year to more than 10,000 transport and logistics companies and 80,000 trucks operating under the system.