While everyone else was sitting around talking about whether or not it was possible, OTTO and Budweiser just went ahead and did it. On Tuesday, Otto and Anheuser-Busch announced that they teamed up to deliver 51,744 cans of beer using autonomous driving technologies.
The low-key announcement was a far cry from the huge event put on by Daimler Trucks North America over a year ago when the Freightliner “Inspiration” truck rolled across the Hoover Dam with a massive press presence, orchestral fanfare, and even a huge video projected onto the dam itself.
Still, despite its humble appearance, the Otto delivery marks a huge milestone in transportation history – the first time a load has been delivered in an autonomous truck. Budweiser even commemorated the delivery by printing a small image of an Otto truck with the words “first delivery by self-driving truck” printed on each can of Bud delivered.
The ride started in Fort Collins, CO, traveled through downtown Denver, and ended up in Colorado Springs. The truck wasn’t driving autonomously the whole way, only on the highways, but when self-driving mode was engaged, the “driver” retreated back into the sleeper berth, leaving no one in either the driver or passenger seats.
Walter Martin, a trucker with almost a decade of experience driving big rigs, was in charge of the vehicle. According to a Wired reporter who went for a ride after the delivery was completed, Martin seemed perfectly at ease with hitting the “engage” button to turn on the self-driving system once they were on the highway, getting out of the driver’s seat, and settling into the sleeper berth.
Otto was recently purchased by Uber for an estimated $680 million. The company has a different approach to autonomous driving than its competitors. Where truck manufacturers require a whole new truck to be purchased, Otto plans to sell kits that can be added to existing trucks in order to achieve self-driving capabilities.
Indeed, the kit that allowed the Budweiser delivery is valued at around $30,000. It isn’t designed for use off of highways, so Otto imagines a future where drivers will be local workers, taking over for the truck in the last few miles after hopping in at a designated depot. They would deliver the load, then drive the truck back out to a terminal and send it on its way before hopping in a new truck.
Until the infrastructure for that exists however, Otto sees their technology as offering safety improvements over human-driven vehicles on highways. They also talk up the convenience of having self-driving technology that can let drivers do paperwork, take a break, or even catch up on sleep, all while the truck is rolling.
“Teaming with Otto to deploy self-driving technology on the roads of Colorado is a monumental step forward in advancing safety solutions that will help Colorado move towards zero deaths on our roads,” said a statement from Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shailen Bhatt according to Fleetowner. “Colorado will continue to focus on working with Otto and others on how to safely deploy this technology on our roads.”
According to Wired, not all of the kinks have been ironed out just yet – Martin still needed to buckle the driver seatbelt – even when he’s not in the seat – to keep the system from binging at him the whole journey.
Source: gobytrucknews, truckinginfo, fleetowner, wired, fortune, overdrive, truckersreport, truckersreport
Image Source: anheuserbusch
Powder River says
Well here it is drivers, our jobs in jeopardy, and although it will take some time to integrate this new technology it is coming sooner rather than later. Even though AB is not owned by the Busch family any longer I see they haven’t changed the way they do business, they had automation in their breweries for years with robotic units moving pallets of beer around and wrapping them for fork truck drivers. AB is also notorious for labor relations even though profits soar; AB doesn’t like to pay freight either so it’s no surprise they are on top of automation to kick the driver out of the truck.
Roger rabbit says
You’ll be long gone from this earth, before that becomes a reality..
Gary says
AB isn’t the catalyst behind this. Uber is.
christopher bianchi says
Job killer….no more Budweiser in my house!
Terry says
Boycott starts today
Chris says
Never drank that garbage and can’t imagine why anyone would. Gotta be the worst beer on the market. But hey, everyone falls for fads. 😉
Andy says
Amen !
Winter bear says
Will I get paid while I’m in a sleeper ?
Harold says
?Once again this country is back stabbing slowly but surely taking jobs from hard working Americans, drivers should be outraged . Fortunately I’m a car hauler, thank God!!!
Geri mann says
I don’t think it matters what you haul, so u are not exempt. OTTO TAKES IT TO A DESIGNATED PLACE WHERE THE DRIVER WILL THEN DELIVER LOCALLY. So u see it’s not in what u haul it’s about driving the truck and let’s not forget the safety of our roads less crashes…. HA HA HA educate and ticket the four wheelers about driving around big rigs and there would be a big start on less crashes
Jon says
Car hauler, why would that matter?, they only need you to unload! So yes for you it will come after van & refer, but it WILL come.
Independent skateboard drivers, will last the longest. If the Feds said yes tomorrow a million jobs would be gone in a heartbeat. Swift execs are getting very excited right now!
Joe Bartman says
Bring that garbage to NYC metro area lol… I ain’t worried.
Tirdad says
LOL
Jeremy says
lol My thoughts, exactly. $800-$1000 a pop to del’v loads in the Burroughs that these things will never be capable of.
Scott Hayden says
My advice, all drivers had better start thinking about learning a new skill.
Michael Bell says
Lol @ Joe. A autonomous truck wont last 5 minutes in Atlanta rush hour.
Doug says
Got more skills than just driving a rig, highly doubt they’ll EVER have an autonomous truck doing what I do behind the wheel of a tri-axle dump truck. Jobsites are a LOT more difficult to maneuver than just back up to a dock.
Rick Mitchell says
Figures a dirt hauler, thinks every 18 wheeler goes to a dock. And yes I have driven your toy many times. All truckin jobs, has a different level of difficulty.
Max says
The place these trucks will appear first will be the long haul corridors. Drivers to do the local work, but driver free out on the open road.
Glad I retired from driving.
Jo says
There will always have to be a driver in the truck period. There are to many things that could go wrong and someone will have to be there to take over, the only thing this will maybe do is extend your hours of service/drive time.
OTR Driver says
Until someone gets killed !
terry says
Someone already got killed taking a nap while their Tesla drove them to work. To their grave in this instance
Scott Hayden says
That may happen, but I am quite certain that far less fatalities will happen with these than with humans driving. Humans only have 2 eyes, these computers have as many “eyes” as you want. They don’t get tired, they don’t get distracted, they don’t require wages or work comp, etc. Like it or not, it’s coming.
RF says
I’d have to agree here…. I believe they will have this technology completely ready for roll out in 5 years
T.Ward says
Sooner then that.
Jo says
Yes it may be coming, but there will always have to be a driver in the truck period. There are to many things that can go wrong and the driver will have to take over. The company will just have the driver doing more paperwork. Work the folks back at the office would be doing, so maybe the folks at the corporate office should be worried about their jobs.
Gary says
Yep. Things change. It’ll be a while. But they’re coming. And it’ll be safer.
Geri mann says
And the four wheelers will still jump in front slam on brakes text and play Pokémon and there will still be fatalities
grasshopper says
Let the lawsuits begin when a four wheeler is killed by a giant robot driven 80,000 lb. monster
Vanessa says
Joe Bartman, Hahahaha touché sir!
Tim W says
Glad I’ll be retired before it happens. Big beer company and recreational marijuana… Of course they need automated vehicles so their products sell..
It’s just like guns. They don’t kill people if used correctly. It’s the person holding a gun that shouldn’t. That’s who kill people.
Same with cars & trucks. There are a lot of people who shouldn’t be behind the wheel. You want 0 fatalities, start taking these road rage nuts off the highway..
Steertire says
It’s unbelievable that this unproven, untested technology was allowed to be used on public roadways with no one behind the wheel. This is no different to me than the guy who let his 10 year old drive his truck. These people like Uber, Google,Apple, Tesla, and all these billionaires behind these companies should buy or lease thousands of acres somewhere, build a mock-up infrastructure with highways, exit ramps etc. and spend a few years testing everything. I don’t want one of these trucks anywhere near me or my family while I am out there on.the highway until they have years of proven testing and safety assurances. This was irresponsible and shows a serious lack of judgement on the part of Otto and AB.
J Breese says
I agree!!
c compton says
Absolutely, correct!very well put.
dselestial says
Hear, hear, Steertire!!! Well put!
Chuck says
I agree they should be charges filed for reckless endangerment total disregard for public saftey.
Chris says
Agreed. And my very first thought as well.
RF says
I Agree!
25hz says
Your complete lack of knowledge about automation should have prompted you to keep your mouth shut, but alas, no. Automation has been around for decades. It’s been time tested and proven on hundreds of thousands of aircraft flights where pilots are only in the cockpit because people wouldn’t fly if the pilot wasn’t there. Pilots will claim otherwise, but vehicle automation, among many other kinds, have been around for a long time. Small minded people, like you, have zero understanding of it, so shoot their mouths off to the other people who know nothing about it, and that’s why automation hasn’t been implemented. The group mind of the herd.
As a truck driver, I will lose no sleep over automated trucks. In fact, I look forward to it, and I’ll be one of the guys do the local delivery and taking the trucks back out to the freeways. Far better than being screwed over, time and again, by dispatch, shippers and receivers. Bring on the robots!
Robert says
There is a big difference between auto pilot and driverless cars and trucks.
Rick Mitchell says
I don’t agree at all.
Leander says
Ummmm, they got permission from the Dept Of Transportation AFTER probing it works in controlled environments. I’m on your side but please, lets make intelligent arguments.
David says
The business can automate whatever they want… it’s free enterprise and a global market.. BUT….We as the consumer can simply leave their beer ,”all brands under Anheuser Busch”…on the shelf…..How do you support a company who plans to eliminate the backbone of America…..the men and women who do this job safely 24/7 to provide a living for their families……..So don’t just sit around talking about ,Yep there goes our jobs…….Do something…..money talks…. BS walks.
Bob says
Very well said. I always blame the consumer. We can control everything, if we work smartly.
Anonymous says
No more Budweiser’s for this boy. It’s a shame that anyone would further a product where humans are being treated as lab rats.
Tesla has already killed people by the use of Autonomous driving. Have we already forgotten?
Shame on Uber for taking jobs from the people.
Azzitude says
Tesla killed nobody those people knew going in that they were not supposed to let the car drive itself and not pay attention !
they weren’t paying attension that’s what got them killed not the tech
Jude Ossowski says
Are you trying to imply we need more of what was once called “Personal Responsibility”? HOW DARE YOU?!?!?! Don’t you know people today aren’t responsible for what they do? “Unexpected pregnancies”, drunk driving, texting while driving, driving while stupid, refusing to get any job training are NOT the individual’s responsibility. Nothing is any more. It’s SOCIETY’S fault!! (It’s called “sarcasm”, folks.)
Daniel says
The unemployed truck drivers can stay home all day and drink beer- until they run out of money.
J Breese says
We’ll all I have to say is look at the windows operating system, it still crashes even after decades of improvements. Now hackers have an easier way to hijack loads. Not only that since it can brake on its on, get in front of it and stop.
I’ve owned a freightliner 🙁 it was one wiring problem after another, I’d love to see this truck limp in just to make a delivery on time.
It’s a “neat/cool” idea but even my wife’s 2017 accord just had a recall, I think our jobs are secure for a long time to come. I was previously a dealer technician for 25 years EVERYTHING BREAKS at some point and time how many ECM have been replaced?
Who’s liable when the system/truck/manufacturer fails and maimes or worse kills someone?
Mike says
When one of these driverless trucks has an accident and kills people I hope they subject the engineers and designers to prison, same as a driver who makes a mistake.
Head Games says
That’s not going to happen because I’m sure the government has written the rules to protect them by now or else these people wouldn’t invest so much time and money into em.
You and I can get thrown under the bus but not them or the government officials that authorized these quite possibly dangerous machines to be tested on our highways.
It will always be back to the drawing board more testing more time to get it right and the rest of us can go draw social security or live in a cardboard box.
PFM says
I’m just waiting for the snow to begin – then we’ll really see what this puppy can do. Interesting to see how it handles some dumbass cutting in front and spinning out on ice.
Tony Marshall says
It’s called the future !!! And to sit around complaining until you lose your job, and acting like you’re ‘entitled’ to it, until ‘you’ decide otherwise is why this country is in the mess it is now. It seems you guys don’t seem to realize what’s happening with the taxi industry around the world via Uber; and all the people that can make money with their own cars: and that was never gonna happen either. If the government was forcing owner operators to buy the kits to upgrade to autonomous, I’d get the outrage. Those that embrace change will benefit from it and be prepared; always have. The rest of you whiney little b*tches will just get run over… The world ain’t fair; as if this issue had anything to do with that, and never was. Men are too busy handling their business to worry about things they can’t possibly change. The rest hang onto their 8 track tape players, VCRs, and ID badges from the steel plants waiting on them to come back…
Head Games says
I think you forget we are all in it together, for years we have helped each other through commerce but this disrupts that bond and distrust and pessimism instinctively comes out of people.
And your little insult really wasn’t called for that’s the sign of a childish mind that doesn’t understand the human race and or what’s at stake.
dselestial says
Well said!
Rick Mitchell says
I don’t agree
Mike says
Yup
Oh and don’t forget these cranky old men are the same ones who are griping about immigrants taking their jobs- now maybe they will wake up and figure out who and what they are really fighting in this world.
william mcdonald says
The problem with your argument is you fail to realize that most jobs can be automated. In your mind, sure, the last large middle class jobs, millions of them, can all be automated and “tough tittie” if no jobs are there to replace them.
Let them eat cake.
Millions upon millions of good manufacturing jobs have gone overseas and all along it was said that with retraining etc, other good paying jobs would replace lost lost. How has that worked out for you?
It is the same here. Just replace a couple of words and phrases and those arguments can be paraded back out for this.
As Carlin said, paraphrased for this, “they want your jobs, they want them bad, they want all that money that they are paying you, they want it all.”
I am a bus driver, semi-retired, and the same thing will happen in that industry.
old man says
Flat tires, electronic glitches, jack knife on icy roads, chaining up, shovel ready jobs that never came to be, a totally broke nation that cannot upgrade it’s infrastructure…I’m not holding my breath.
Bob says
Great points!
Van G says
Autonomous does not mean driverless. Those shovel-ready jobs were out there but your lovely congressmen don’t want to fully fund these things, halfway through the deal they cut the program. Why? No lobby money in it for them. But go ahead and keep voting them back.
Tony Marshall says
… and oh, by the way, people get killed everyday with ‘driver-ed vehicles’; and the world has come to accept a certain number as being OK: right or wrong. If it didn’t, the speed limits wouldn’t exceed 30-35mph, where accident deaths approach 0. You needn’t think a fatality is going to derail this and, as it becomes more mainstream, the numbers of fatalities will favor the new technology.
Chuck says
Human lives were put in danger testing. Anything could happen people are bot robots and can not be programmed to comply to their computer program on that truck. Malfunction of the computer operated system could cost a life. Hacking ,lightning,or just computer eror. Criminal charges should be filed for reckless endangerment just that simple.The people of our country should be outraged and demand liability and an arrest,
Head Games says
I can think of several ways to key on that rolling Mud Duck and I bet somebody would come running out that bunk with a parachute to see what’s going on! Hehehehehehehe!!!!!
Jason Spinar says
Sue the truck for running someone over. LMFAO
George Torres says
Screw em! Let the automated trucks have the beer loads! 27 hour wait in Jacksonville AB and an overnight wait in Williamsburg VA for another. I don’t even drink the shiznet.
Michael Bell says
I don’t get it. If you automate everything to lower cost and wages. How are humans are going to make a living?
Bob says
And when the roads a snow covered or no lines exist, how will the truck navigate? These autopilot systems rely on painted road lines. So then an inexperienced driver will manually take over. A person with very little time behind the wheel in good conditions will magically take over in poor conditions.
Not to mention when terrorists learn to hack them and use them to cause major havoc.
I can’t wait!
Azzitude says
And people with no experience that’s a good one because that’s exactly what we have on the roads today a two week training course to be a truck driver go with the trainer for a week and automatically you’re an experienced driver these drivers can’t even back up to a dock let alone anticipate anything on the road all they’re doing now is whining and crying about how many hours they have to drive and how little money they’re getting that’s the problem with the truckIng industry now.
Glad I sold my trucks and got out
Rick Mitchell says
We are glad, you did as well.
James says
It’s already proven in cars the technology can be hacked imagine the carnage of an unmanned 80000 lbs rig
Van G says
I guess I’m the only trucker that can read, this is not a job killer, it is to make our life more simple and less stressful. This is already a factor in Scandinavia where they ran a small fleet down the road. The DOT will never allow these rigs to be COMPLETELY driverless, so how is this a job killer? There is nothing worse on the road than an overly sleepy and stressed our driver, whether driving a car or a rig. Autonomous does NOT mean driverless. We are in the tech age, we love technology. Where would we be with out our cell phones, GPS, and all our gadgets? Time to get in the real world.
Brad M. says
Exactly. It can’t happen soon enough, as far as I’m concerned.
Jose M says
All this is, is better cruise control, where the driver can actually leave the driver’ seat and rest while the truck is going down the road in perfect conditions. This truck was not driverless, it still needed a driver in it to take over if something went wrong, so people, don’t worry, your jobs are about to become easier, not extinct.
Stop the insanity says
The only issue I personally have with this technology is that if something happens, and the seat warmer(driver) is “catching up on rest”, how exactly can they get into the seat fast enough to take control? I am all for advancing technology, but there are too many things that can happen in an instant for the driver’s seat to be empty. As far as my job… not a concern. I’m too old to worry about that lol.
nathan says
calm down everyone. completely 100% driver less trucks will never appear in out life time. you will still need the driver to navigate city streets. you think long haul would love this, get on the hwy and set autopilot and go get some sleep. look at it this way, airline planes have auto pilot and can fly by themselves but you still have the pilot to take off and land even thou the planes can do that themselves. as soon as the plane is at cruising altitude the pilots set the auto and kick back and relax and enjoy the ride. how is this going to be any different?
Mongoose says
Long haul drivers, if they’re a true fit for long hauling live for the long stretches, not the city driving. The city driving is what we loathe most.
Barry says
This will become another tool to use, just like cruise control.
As a business owner you have to look for ways to improve and seperate your company from your competition.
One of the areas is cost of operation. If spending $30k on a automation system improves your company go for it. I’ll hold on to my $ for a bit. I don’t see a need for it in my business but I could see larger carriers investing in the technology.
Change is going to happen, you have to be able to adapt to the change. Boycotts aren’t going to stop the change.
Look at your business and look for ways to improve and add value to your clients. Do that and you’ll be able to adapt and prosper during the change.
Donald says
Maybe this is the solution to the driver shortage and 100% turnover in the industry. Lol, if they can’t find driver’s they’ll just let the trucks drive themselves.
Slim says
I can’t wait till winter kicks in in Denver and see how well it does on the i25
Redjeb says
It never gets tired it never complains it just keeps going(terminator)??
william mcdonald says
Just another comment on this issue.
As you may know, Nevada has allowed a driverless truck to be licensed for trials with a driver required to be in the seat. But what is more interesting is what the companies envision for the future.
Convoys of driverless trucks, the leader with a human inside(but not driving) and 9 trucks following, running the freight lanes cross country.
It don’t take a genius to do the math. 90% driverless. Can you see the future ahead for the long haul drivers if this works out as the moneymen plan?
old man says
How do you know what the DOT will allow? You assume way too much. Are willing to go back into the sleeper and let this vehicle go on auto pilot? Who’s fault will it be if the vehicle is involved in an accident? Sorry guys I don’t trust technology no matter how advanced it is. I want my butt in the seat with my hands on the wheel.
montrose says
will you people relax.first of all it costs 680 million dollars. second of all if you read the words very carefully it did not go the whole way without help it said it went through downtown Denver and I bet my bottom donut that driver had to drive it through downtown Denver.as traffic can be easily confused, as the system and will be constantly hitting the brakes. third it cannot make turns or lane change. it can only go down the highway in a straight line it cannot deviate for ramps or scale houses.forest in the years that come it will not be experienced drivers that they put in these things as backups it will be inexperienced drivers with little or no training to use as a training aid. I’m not scared of autonomous semi trucks I’m scared of the illegals with CDLs driving.
Mongoose says
The said they were putting together kits that cost about $30,000 to convert existing trucks to driverless. A lot of mega carriers could easily convert most of, if not their entire fleets to driverless at that price. As far as lane changes, exits, turns, and deviations go, that’s just a matter of writing more strings of code. Might not be there now, but in due time, it will be. I guess I should consider going to college to learn to write computer programs.
Keith says
People it’s called the future. You can’t marvel in man’s ability to achieve scientific and engineering wonders, but then at the same time get angry because it’s taking your job. The reason that the successful people are successful is because they are always moving forward and innovating. You all get complacent and think the world is supposed to slow down for you. This is most people’s problem. If the steel mill has gone, or your trucking job is being automated, or your factory job has gone to Mexico. Don’t blame Mexico, or China, or India, or whomever your job has gone to. Get retrained for a job of the future and transition before you are layed off or downsized. Stop feeling like you are entitled to something just because you have been doing it for 20 years. If you have half a brain and have been semi conscious in the last 20 years then you know this is our reality. There is nothing that Trump or Hillary is going to do for you. Stop looking for a Messiah to save you. And get off your lazy button. And stop complaining and go back to school. University or technical. And learn computer programming, electronics, robotics etc.. Keep moving forward and stay ahead of the game. Keep educated about what jobs are needed and train for those careers. Come on people it’s not rocket science. Instead of blaming everyone else blacks, Mexicans, Chinese, Indians etc. Blame yourself for not keeping up with the world. Retrain, learn to work with everybody, and leave your old prejudices and pre conceived notions in the trash. And you will do well. Peace
MusicMan says
I believe we have far more to worry about from the greedy fools in Washington than we do from any new technology.
Robert says
The technology will be used and those Companies that choose to ignore it will for a time survive,but eventually every vehicle on the Highway will have these Autonomous features , making for a safer World.
Of course We can all go back to driving Horse and Oxen drawn carts,but that would cause a whole lot of Shute!
Jacob Griflo says
Folks, as I read these comments to this reportage, there’s one thing that becomes clearer: “we the people” are more divided than ever and a handful of global elites with their new priesthood of technocrats have never been more successful at achieving their agenda in all of human history.
It is easy to be fascinated by new technologies, but what is the primary function of thechnology if it’s not to minimize and/or elliminate the human element from a process? We develop technologies that elliminate the demand of human imput and/or labor in producing goods and performing services for human consumption and human needs without realizing that according to the laws of ‘supply and demand’ we render ourselves irrelevant and useless in a world governed by the ecconomical laws of ‘supply and demand’.
In light of the officialy declared desire of the globalist elites to dramatically lower the global human population (from 7+ billion to less than 1 billion) and maintain it at around 500 million world inhabitants, I conclude that their specific desire to develop these technologies are in fact even more sinister than the desire to increase their profit margins. It just doesn’t make any sense for chasing greater profit margins when they create the primary instrument of commerce (debt based fiat currency) out of thin air, by introducing nubers in a virtual gigital data base and, so far, printing millions of lbs of neatly colored peaces of paper.
Anyway, I would like to ask ya’ll a question: what would the purpose and worth of a human being be when machines produce everything including reproducing themselves?
Umh? Yeah, I guess that’s also useless to ask that question since the majority rhinks that “it’s all fine with me cause I ain’t gonna be here for that one”. Complacency and apathy it’s even worst than poverty!
Mongoose says
Funny you should mention the depopulation angle of Agenda 21. I was just thinking about how eliminating so many jobs, not just drivers, but all of the jobs reliant on drivers being there…all of those truck stop employees for example…anyway, this automation of the industry, I guess that makes us the ‘useless eaters’ that they will wish to rid themselves of first. Now I guess we know whose heads will be filling the baskets of those 11,000 guillotines the DHS purchased some time ago.
Noneya says
After 26 years out here I’m ready to be replaced by technology. Good riddance, trucking.
old man says
As a former electronic tech I can guarantee you there is no 100% idiot proofing anything.
Jacob Griflo says
True that, but have you herd about redundancy components and redundancy measures to re the redundacy components? They’re developing the primary technologies now and shortly after they’ll be busy developing redundant redundancy measures one in top of the other.
Nothing short of a powerful cosmic EMP would put this world back where it’s supposed to be! Even then, only for a periond of time.
Mongoose says
We’re more likely to see Skynet becoming self aware and wiping us all out before that long needed EMP hits.
Gentoo says
They’re all so happy right now. Wait till the roads start to have patches of ice on them that even an experience human driver sometimes doesn’t know until they’re on it.
Larry haynes says
Just a way to put more of the American people out of work
Larry haynes says
I would say boycott any of these large companies that have anything to do with this.i won’t drink another Budweiser. There just trying to make things cheaper on them.at the same time put people out of work.but they still want u to drink a budget. Most of the people that drink there beer are truck drivers.to he’ll with them
Northstar says
Why didn’t they test it in a snow storm…That would have been funny.
Azzitude says
Breathe, take a pill and relax
Airplanes have had this forever
Roland says
Stop pressing the panic button for heavens sake! It’s funny reading about boycotting Bud…don’t know who drinks that trash anyway…LOL
A ride straight down I25 don’t/won’t compare to real world driving..Moutain Climbing, downgrades, Chaining, Unchaining, Inspection stations….etc etc! Your jobs are safe. They still need human interaction, and you’d be a fool not to command top dollar to navigate through LA,NYC,DC,ATL,CHI…etc
After the lawsuit from the 1st autonomous accidents they’ll be putting drivers back in the saddle 24/7
JC says
If you think your jobs are in jeopardy you lack the common sense required and ability to grasp the bigger picture. A human will still be need to occupy the truck. The same as it is now. It’s amazing how truckers will key up the cb and brag about how smart they are on all subjects including religion, legal issues, politics and traffic law yet lack the ability to recognize autonomous trucks still require a human and isn’t likely to be operational for many years to come.
Andy says
Who should be worried , drivers or the company? There are 102 million unemployed in the U.S. The number one job in 31 out of 50 states ?…. driver.
Know what they will be hauling in their new trucks? … AIR
Bill says
Look at the bright side. No more log books. Still need a driver to do the local driving, back up, park, unload, strap, tarp, chain etc. You can catch up your hours while you’re rolling.
shogun says
I fail to see the airplane comparison. Sure, they have autopilot, but the amount of planes in the sky pales in comparison to vehicles on a roadway at any given time. Airplanes don’t worry about deer,ice, flooded roads, fallen trees, etc at thrity thousand feet. I also don’t follow the “learn a new skill set” logic. I chose this career. The percentage of mega carriers who need this technology can’t even cover 1 percent of any loads moved daily. When mom and pop companies start shelling out an extra $30 k to equip their trucks while operating on already tight margins, then I may take notice.
Gee says
I guess the diver will never run out of hours since he’ll be in the sleeper lol…
shogun says
It would have also been poetic if the steer tire blew and carried the truck across three lanes into the concrete wall, laying over on its side. The driver would probably be dead, coming from the sleeper through the windshield and people would still extol its virtue. But but but its so safe…
BASEBALL bat says
Waiting for that first snow storm…
Georgejansen says
DRIVERS WILL ALWAYS BE ON BOARD. We really need to cut the driverless horsesit~out. Just trains, planes and ships… Operators will be on board. DAMN
Marc Voyer says
Well in Agriculture, we have lots of auto-steer machine. The accuracy of the GPS system is within 2 in in some setup. Of course the boundaries of the field are pre-set and obstacles in it don’t move. So likely most of the path is pre-learn.
And in a field with one machine risks for others are limited,indeed. But just steering via GPS with that much accuracy is quite something. Now in a vehicle on public roads, you add proximity sensors and camera then you end with way much more accuracy !!! Many of you must have seen those traffic cameras controlling the left turn signal at an intersection . That was the start of it . That’s another early glimpse of this type of technologies. I ,personally ,am not in love with that idea and those devices. To me it takes away the fun in the job. It takes away our capacity to think. Self thinking is being taken away from all of us in so many fields of life. NOTHING is safer than a CAREFUL operator !!!
Ray says
Amazing the guys who extol auto anything, maybe they wish to sit around and work just part of the time , usually they have proven to be the ones that have little to no work ethic. Humans have the need to work, at least those who have a healthy work ethic, I mean just look at all those people employed in the making of this new tech. , hey there human and I am pretty sure they have bills to pay as well. The big benefactors of this are the profit driven owners of these big companies that will die to make there profits even larger than they were last year, I mean it’s there mantra, we the humans that have a work ethic outnumber the lazy non driven who have none at all. Here’s an idea for you, just go home and let the bills pile up, don’t take a bath, don’t pay taxes, sell your car, and throw away your cell phones and let those people who conceived this tech. to come and feed and cloth you, in other words……..technology can not and will not feed you, if anything it replaces you. I for one can and always will work with my hands till my body says no more, I suggest you loafers do the same, you know, have some self respect for yourself and others who do not share your zeal for something else that replaces your job. And now your hardest job you will ever have……get a job where you have to use those two brain cells before they slip out your ears.
Tony says
With the driver able to sleep and rest comfortably, well, that means the driver will always be available to be on-duty when the task requires him to take over. No longer will the truck sit idling for 10+ hours. The driver, now will be on call 24 hours a day.
Welcome to your new future.
robert allard says
Send OTTO to the Bronx and see how long it will take before it get hijacked and go for a ride.
Good idea for reefer drivers they don’t have to wait in truck for to be loaded since OTTO would be able to back up to dock wit doors closed oops I forgot who will open the doors and slide axles???
Roadghost says
Yard shunters will do all that.
Roadghost says
The industry is desperate to get these autonomous trucks on the road to get rid of drivers. The push is phenomenal. I expect to see these things replacing drivers within 10 years. The long-haul highway guys will be gone first. Also, if private companies like Wal-Mart can get these trucks to do their work, most transport companies will be history too. There’s no getting away from it, the future is not good for transport drivers.
Itasca Ohumukini Jr says
Yup Saw it in the news….I’m not surprise I saw Budweiser Whs back east has robotic fork lift’s preloading their trailers 2 robots per trailer loading 4 pallet’s at one time this was 3 yrs ago!
Picking up beer at any of their facilities was always a pain in the butt so that’s fine for me…they can have that…still plenty of work for drivers…! My concern is one of their trucks running away or into other trucks/vehicles…! #malfunctions!
Max says
There’s another consideration as to why companies embrace this type of automation. No more HOS issues. Computers don’t need to rest, sleep, they don’t get sick. So a truck can run 7/24. This alone will more than double the ROI numbers for trucking companies.
It’s coming and it won’t be deferred.
agoo7 says
yeah but a comupter on the road is not faster then me buddy, and they do over heat, and dont do well in all weather or temp. Mr. Judgement day man.
Robert says
So here’s the problem….
Does the driver get paid by the hour or the mile? Also is the driver on duty not driving? How does this affect the mandatory 30 minute break? Also, if it is on duty not driving will the driver be able to work 14 hours with overtime pay? Also, if it’s driverless, then why the need for the driver? Let’s turn this puppy loose on Vail pass with snow and ice on the road. Who puts the chains on? So from the article I believe they want truck drivers to become yard jockies. What if the gps puts it on a restricted road (yes they can do that) who gets the ticket? The driverless truck? The driver in the “driverless” truck or the company? If it has an accident who gets the blame? The “driverless” truck or the “driverless” trucks driver asleep in the bunk? Can’t really blame the driver if he isn’t driving. This technology is a long way off and not anything the over 40 group should worry about. Good day
William Mccauley says
I can’t wait till these things are out in the desert on one of the hotter days and some of the solder melts on a circuit board and wipes everything out, or how about a dust storm. Oh and I guess if there where to be an emergency situation the drive could wake from his nap and instantly take control. This will be interesting, but in the end we just don’t have the money to buy our way into the govt like everyone else
Concerned spouse says
As a working spouse of a driver, our family misses him away from home every time he leaves to go OTR to support our family. My question is for companies that choose to adopt this technology, will we continue to have to sacrifice him away from home for less pay? If these trucks still require a driver but he’s not driving then how will he get paid? Yes, there are advantages to our family If he only delivers locally but how will he get paid? By the hour? Minimum wage? Oh no!
Mark says
Talk about a hijackers dream. All you’d have to do is block the truck with another semi so it can’t move. Lower the dollys, unhook the fifth wheel, and unhook the airlines and power cord. Move your truck out of the way of the semi, and let it take off without the trailer. Now you can hook your truck up to the trailer and bring it home.
agoo7 says
Or just computer hack the system and tell the truck where to bring the goods and so on and so on, easy as one two three a b c
Sara says
My question is, tech is improving so fast each year. What will the cost of upgrading do to small companies?
Joe ranger says
This is the great American achievement of our time? Delivering beer autonomously?
T.Ward says
Guys we can fuss about this all day. The truth is this is our future either jump on board or get out the way. Your pay will go down and the need for us will soon evaporate. Sad , but it’s true like all the real men and women who move this country today are the last of real truckers. So much has changed since I started 12 years ago most drivers don’t even know how to use a Atlas anymore. Everything is about computers and paying us less. I got a couple of months and I’m getting out of the game. Trucking is changing and not for us.
Anthony says
Although technology is a good thing it sometimes can cause collateral damage…So here’s the question that these corporations haven’t asked themselves…if you put everyone out of work through automation….Ummm…Who is going to buy your products??? As you put the work force out of work…There won’t be anyone to buy your products, and then your corporation can file for bankruptcy due to zero income…You promote this technology and apparently unaware that you will destroy yourselves in the process…Is industrial suicide something that they teach in college these days???!!!!
Darren Mayor says
They may be able to have a self driving truck on the interstates during good weather, but how will determine the driving characteristics during a hard rain, side winds, snow and ice, etc.? Will these trucks be equipped with autochain features too? No way would I go to sleep with this thing driving me to my potential demise!! Who would be at fault if an accident occurs, due to hardware or software failure? Human or Otto?
longtimegone says
I am wondering what they are going to do when the idiots that don’t know how to merge onto the freeway, drive into the truck as it is passing an on ramp?
We have all seen the signs all up and down the interstates… “Hit by a big truck?”
LOL
Gary Tate says
Brace driver. All this hacking going on, no way in hell I’d leave that seat. Imagine the havoc especially with haz mat loads.
Rob F says
I remember when ELD’s first made an appearance. I have 25+ years in and swore I’d never use it. I won’t drive without it now. I’m reading and hearing many of the same comments regarding this technology. I would love to be the “seat-warmer” or better yet, the driver taking the unit from the drop point to wherever it empties out. It seems that something similar is going on. For instance, I see double 48’s and 53’s along with triple pups on the tollways. These units don’t drive around on the surface streets. They’re dropped and taken over by other drivers allowing the shuttle driver to hook and go back. I see this happening, as well, with the automated rigs. Yes, the O/O won’t be able to have a driver waiting but he’s already in the truck (supposedly) and can take over when needed. As far as bad weather, etc. A driver will have to stay in control during those times.
Think it through, people. I believe there will never be a time when a “seat-warmer” is not needed unless ALL vehicles are automated.
Jason says
You guys can keep complaining while doing nothing, that’s fine. As for me, when this product starts to roll out, I’m going to take my experience as a driver and go to Uber so that I can start selling it. If you’ve got a product that could eventually take away my job, then I’m going to be on your side. Welcome to a capitalist society, learn to adjust to change.
Dmitry says
All automated vehicles need inspection. And if usual Truck Driver do this job for him self, like pre-trip etc. Who will do inspection to automated vehicles? Every warehouse will have truck inspector from companies who will cost more, than 10 truck drivers. This technology is only splash in the ocean.
ZEE says
Not only the trucks in Colorado, where it’s not legal to drive an autonomous truck, as the CDOT director said, quoted on local TV, but its not really illegal either, under statue, as he also state on TV.
Note that the Denver Post ran a 3 page CDOT article this year that spoke of CDOT’s inability to garner enough revenue to upgrade the roads in Colorado, especially from the two lanes in each direction fro the AB plant at Ft.Collins, all the way to Colorado Springs and beyond. In the article, this same CDOT director
says that the CDOT game plan is to have UBER/Google autonomous cars running that will pick you up and drop you where you need to go. You then call for another vehicle to move you again when needed. This includes ride sharing and convoying of vehicles.
This is becoming the reality, as Colorado is installing fiber optics all the way to ski areas, which generate a large part of the traffic jams on the mountain i-70 corridor. The cameras and embedded sensors will govern the traffic flow and that will include trucks hauling the goods to these areas.
Colorado has always been behind the curve on roadway infrastructure, taking as an example, the Mouse trap on I-70 to Colorado Blvd, where the viaduct is 1965 or so vintage and has to have continuous maintenance, as it is crumbling and scaling off concrete continuously.
The plan is to put a wide tunnel underground in that location with four lanes in each direction. People don’t do well as drivers in tunnels and with the massive flow of traffic there, CDOT must use the autonomous option.
Denver has a cowtown mentality on cars, so this option will be forced on people. The CDOT director has said people will still be able to use their own cars, yet you can count on an option of taxation on that from the legislature to force the will of CDOT.
The Driver of a truck on OTR is always on duty, as you are never away from responsibility foe the rig and the load, unless the truck is in the home terminal, and you are not required to do ANY work. 2,500 miles average per week ,per driver at 40 cpm, after taxes, and expenses (food,etc) subsidizing the company you work for, leaves you with equivalent of 168 a week on the job,(7-24), and somewhere between 5.11 cents to 6.33 cents an hour pay,take home.
Corporations are about the bottom line, and now with the autonomous trucks, drivers can for the most part, be removed from the bottom line, as the corporate heads and stock holders believe in maximum profit and lowest overhead, and that mostly eliminates the driver, as coporatations will not pay for the expensive robot truck AND the driver.
Which will be eliminated?
Autonomous trucks are here to stay.
John VanWagoner says
I’m curious to know how those trucks will handle extreme weather situations, parking in those situations, chain up, unusual traffic situations, tire blow outs, etc.
agoo7 says
my words exectly my good man Thank You.
agoo7 says
Where to begin. Do they know that cell phones are blowing up, cars are being recalled ever month, computers have hackers, computers glich up. thats like saying hey fly this while i sleep cpu thanks. First of all rain, wind, snow, deers, the road, LIFE etc. can not be perfected be mankind nor computers. This is not cool its dangerous, and wrong, drivers jobs and lives are on the line. The bull has got to stop. So much more to say just dont want to scare anyone, but really do you really think that thing will last a sec in NYC, DC, PA, NJ,. Dont think so, hell safety dont even know why qualcom say Im in Florada and I been sitting in Ohio for 3 day reseting my hours. Message, and Im suppost to crawl in the beth and do what. Pray. thats what.