They rumble down the highway between Beijing and Tianjin port: big lorries, loaded up and fully able to navigate themselves. Sure, there is a safety driver in the seat, as per government regulations, but these lorries don't require them, and many analysts say it won't take long before they are gone. When "safety driver" Huo Kangtian, 32, first takes his hands off the wheel, and lets the lorry drive itself, it is somehow impressive and disconcerting in equal measures. For the initial stages of the journey, he is in full control. Then - at a certain point - he hits a few buttons, and the powerful, heavy machine is driving itself, moving at speed along a public road to Tianjin.

Convoys of driverless lorries could soon take to roads across the UK with the M6/M74 corridor set to be the busiest. At least that's according to a new report that examined the routes across the country most likely to be used by firms who employ the burgeoning technology. 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 forecasts. Platoons of self-driving lorries are expected to be trialled on England's motorways by the end of the year. Convoys of driverless lorries could soon take to roads across the UK, with the best routes examined in a new report by transport information firm Inrix.