With privately owned driverless cars coming to American roads next year, and an ATA executive’s claim that driverless trucks are “close to inevitable,” truckers in the US should watch with a careful eye the events unfolding in the Netherlands where Dutch lawmakers are starting to lay the groundwork for fully automated commercial vehicles.
Dutch infrastructure minister Schultz van Haegen plans to present a proposal by early 2015 to the Dutch House of Representatives that will amend existing regulations to make it legal for self-driving vehicles to operate on public roads.
Unlike in the U.S. where companies like Google are working toward automated vehicles for non-commercial use and then possibly for commercial use soon after, the Dutch seem interested in starting with commercial vehicles and then rolling out autonomous cars after. The government says that the testing of self driving trucks will help pave the way for driverless cars throughout the country.
While they are excited about the benefits that self driving cars could have for the general population, the Dutch seem to be focused primarily on the impact that driverless vehicles could have on commerce. Within five years, the goal is to have self-driving trucks serving Rotterdam, one of the largest commercial ports in Europe.
Minister van Haegen plans to announce more detailed plans for the self-driving truck initiative in the Netherlands at the end of the summer.
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Source: vice, government.nl
Joe Skeptical says
This could help the driver shortage of new ones unwilling to accept what trucking companies want.
Tim says
Um, point well taken, but I think you meant to say new ones “willing” (not unwilling) to accept what trucking companies want – either that or you meant to say “surplus” (not shortage).
Joe Skeptical says
You get an “A” for the day, Tim. Your new middle name is “Detail” and we ain’t talkin’ about clean cars here!
Tim says
Thanks Joe, while I do like your response, an even better one might have been: “I could care less!” 😉
Tim says
Semantics aside, I definitely agree with your point. The upside to transportation companies of self-driving vehicles is absolutely huge for a whole bunch of reasons, one of which is not having to deal with the whims of human beings behind the wheel…computers generally do exactly what you tell them to.
LongHaulHighway says
Short of some serious breakthroughs in artificial intelligence it is highly unlikely that a significant number of American drivers will be affected by this. Too many locations require a human mind to navigate streets that have not been designed for semi-trucks but are permitted routes. A trucker understands that the flashing lights up ahead mean that traffic will drop their speed by 5 Mph if it’s just an officer with someone pulled over and 10 – 15 Mph to rubberneck if it’s an accident; a computer won’t.
I don’t want to come off as one of those guys that said, “Human beings will never fly,” but even if our technology is soon capable of safely replacing the American trucker, drivers would not be grumbling about going on strike, they would be planning a revolution. Without a turnaround in the economy, whoever would back the loss of thousands, or tens-of-thousands, of trucking jobs to machines would become public enemy number one.
ironage says
It wouldn’t be the first time in history that thousands of jobs were lost due to new technology. It’s coming. Maybe not in the next 20 years …but it’s coming.
WING says
It’s already here…technology must be sold to the public….GM had this figured out in the 90’s.
But the younger crowd will go for this very quickly….once they realize they will be privileged to not have to deal with human drivers on the road… no 20 years waiting period.
The drivers, of today and yesterday are fast becoming dinosaurs. The one per centers have planned it this way. There is a lot of money to be made taking professionals off the road and more importantly, to the one per center…selling the technology to replace us..
It’s available now…
been saying this about the Mongolian mine trucks with no drivers..long trains with only a “technician” to watch the proceedings. GPS/sat control….can you say
GOOGLE?
melissa says
Maybe not. Drivers have been passive while more and more foreign drivers, (living here or not), have gradually increased by the thousands in the last 12 or so years. We are fooling ourselves if we think that it hasn’t or will not effect our wages.
Lonnie Roberts says
Hasn’t our society became lazy enough, that now we need cars to drive us everywhere!
Joe Skeptical says
Find a car with a clutch on a dealer’s lot for proof how we need everything done for ourselves. Wait until the mandatory back-up camera rule command from the FMCSA.
houseofmadness says
This is a disaster waiting to happen stolen loads increase in accidents due to faulty technology not to mention being able to hack the system alter the GPS etc. Good luck with one
Steve Bell says
It can never happen….
How in the hell can you get a driverless truck to work for free…,You know…Load and unload…Break down pallets…Check tires…Fuel the truck…Pre check and Post check…Sweep out trailers…And all of the other stuff that Drivers do for FREE NOW???
L. Hinojosa says
Everything you listed can, at this point, either be automated or done by a warehouse hand/helper for $8 an hour. Nothing you listed requires a CDL.
WING says
sorry Steve….one example at Platteville, Colorado. Aurora Dairies. The robot pulls the order from a 10/20 story building, down to the docks,etc.
The robot is capable of all the things you can do now.
The one percenters want it that way.
Have you never seen the movie..”I, ROBOT”? Star Trek brought us the smart phone and other technolgies.
More money to be made without drivers.
Watched the Norwegian engineer install a potato sorter, all electronic, at Center ,Colorado, the job was done by Mexican immigrants….no anymore.
jeff h says
Hate to say this but everyone e’s missing the the point. Think trains. Say any load over 500 miles away will be automated trucked from one stagging area to another. Then you my fellow truckers will deliver the load. Then take the empty to a shipper to be loaded . Then back to the staging area to be assigned to a automated truck. For a flat fee or milage. Like container drivers. No long hauls. Of course no one will care that you’ll make half the income you do now.
Ron says
Dont worry too much, not if you base your worries on this article above.
I’m a dutch man working for a Canadian company and OTR in the US for most of the time.
This minister never worked a day in her life and is a career politician like most in the Netherlands, hence lives in a parallel universe with no touch to reality at all.
It’s nothing but wet dreams of people with too little to do and all at the expense of others.
Think of Nancy Pelosi and multiply that with ten…. 🙂
An experiment in the Rotterdam area..? That makes LA a walk in the park.
Just ask your self why trains are not driver-less right now, or plains.
Happy trails guys! 🙂
WING says
Apparently you haven’t heard of FMCSA and a lady named Anne Ferro. She thumbed her nose at Congress, does not answer to them , but to office of budget and management, which is connected to the white house…..and the one percenters.
Heath says
I agree with Ron, pipe dreams of politicians to get reelected. Does everyone remember, that back in the 30’s and 40’s they said by the 80’s everyone would have a flying car in their driveway…guess I’ll go take mine for a spin now. Stay safe guys!
JKCEE says
I is amazing how governments work very hard to put there citizens out of work..!!!
Brian Robinson says
Actually, Ron, trains ARE driverless! they have been automated for years!
F Nelson says
I think this idea is awesome, but they will always need a human being in the cab to monitor just like airline pilots do with airplanes. Pilots only work 20-30 minutes in a flight the remainder of the time the computer is flying the plane.
Robert says
This would be a terrorist dream come true. They don’t need nuclear or biological material to threaten us with, no no they just hack into the control system on these trucks and they have 80000 pound bombs all over the country. That is why I think it will not happen in the USA any time soon. Plus like longhaul said we don’t have the interstructure for it.
WING says
the infrastructure is built into the technology……. they will not need us.
better to buy stock in the tech companies selling the goods to the general public…
this way you get to put your self out of business and still have an income…
Never heard of one world government… it’s coming and already in place…to our doors, like it or not.
Ray says
Well, with the industry the way it is perhaps it’s for the better. They will probably be safer than all those rookies on the road.
Big Yellower says
It’s some what of a joke driver less big rigs. Some human still has to hook up the trailer and raise the trailer legs. What about fueling? Also wouldn’t that make easier to sabotage, or hijack the rig.
Myself it will increase cargo theft by 1,000% . No driver means no need for violence for the load..
scoon says
I’d like to see a computer drive in the snow