Google has officially entered the autonomous truck arena and is testing how their current self-driving technology will work with commercial trucks.
To be accurate, the development of self-driving vehicles isn’t actually being done by Google. That work is done by Waymo, a company owned by Google parent company, Alphabet.
Since the news of Waymo’s entrance into the trucking industry broke just hours ago, there isn’t much information available yet, and some reports appear to conflict.
A Waymo spokesperson confirmed to BuzzFeed News that there is currently a Waymo semi-truck operating on public roads, but it’s currently manually driven and being used for data collection purposes only.
Waymo even has a DOT number and operating authority as a carrier. Waymo LLC, USDOT #3000336 has two power units and one driver registered.
Forbes reports that other testing is being done on a private track in California and road tests will be conducted in Arizona later this year.
While autonomous vehicle rival Uber is plowing forward with testing, and even putting passengers in autonomous cars in some locations, Waymo is proceeding cautiously. Forbes reports that the current testing is just “technical exploration” that will give Google a better idea of how its existing technology will need to be modified to work with large trucks.
“Self-driving technology can transport people and things much more safely than we do today and reduce the thousands of trucking-related deaths each year,” a Waymo spokesperson told BuzzFeed in an email. “We’re taking our eight years of experience in building self-driving hardware and software and conducting a technical exploration into how our technology can integrate into a truck.”
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have been in testing for eight years and have logged a total of 3 million on-road miles, with billions more miles of simulated driving used to build their system’s artificial intelligence.
Reuters reports that Waymo expects autonomous vehicles to be used for long distance trucking, but local driving, pickups, and deliveries will still need to be handled by human drivers.
Source: forbes, reuters, buzzfeed, 247wallstreet, 9to5google, waymo, fmcsa
Rufus Crank says
Are they going to make driving my truck illegal after they get this done? I drive because I like it.Millions of people like to drive. Did any of us demand this technology? Will anybody use it when they are done? I don’t understand what the corporations have against real humans being able to care for their families? Is it so horrible that our kids get to sleep indoors and eat food regularly?
Chris says
Rufus, going to have to up your skill set. Being “just a driver” is a thing of the past. You will now need to understand how to read simple spreadsheets. The driver of the future will make money like the big companies do now, by the pennies. Get 1/10th of a mile better MPG, get the extra 30-50 miles and stay at the less than perfect rest area, etc. You can always fight against it and still drive because you enjoy it, but you will be priced and starved out. When all is said and done, like so many other industries, either get inline or get out of the way.
Robert says
And he will have to be able to skillfully levitate to other worlds with his powers of spiritual preeminence and deftly move atoms with the flick of his fingertips and disappear into another dimension whenever he hears the phrase “go to work”!
Melissa says
Wow☺?
Max says
I don’t understand what the corporations have against real humans being able to care for their families.
Corporations are there to make money first.
It’s not that they don’t care. Its the loss of liability. Most drivers have no idea of the huge settlements paid out every year due to accidents. And we’re not talking major loss of life type accidents.
The insurance premiums would make most drivers choke. One accident can put a company out of business.
Autonomous trucks don’t get sick, don’t have HOS issues, don’t take long breaks and don’t ask for raises and benefits.
Same reason cars are painted by robots, GPS eliminated road maps (to the bane of printers) or electric circular saws eliminated many carpenters jobs.
It’s the future folks. Like it or not.
jeannie says
autonomous trucks also don’t toss trash and pee bottles out onto the side of the highway, don’t flip people off, drive aggressively, talk like truckers or mistreat the customers. But I’m curious as to how an autonomous tractor is going to pretrip the trailer it is picking up.
Robert says
When cpu’s replace CEO’S and Politician’s and everyone else then they’ll be screaming out loud. Or just order another umbrella drink in front of their 3D virtual reality lives.
Alfredo says
•Google still dnt recognze truck routes…truck entry…. bridge heights, etc
•they will need to create a computer that react like a human bcuz vehicle around trucks are driven by humans,etc
•those computers will use DATA(a lot) wich its limited in much places, gets congested, etc
And many other stuff that will make it difficult to really happen at least on the ground
Alfredo says
They should invest more time and money working on how to avoid accidents due to regular vehicles, they are the main reason of truck accidents
From this seat i can see 95% of people using phone while driving
Morongobill says
They will just downsize you.
Neil Pawelczak says
I know that I am safe at the moment since I work for a small company and do much more than just truck. But it is disconcerting the fact that the safety net that I though I had will be gone in the next 10 years. This technology will be implimented reguardless of what we say or do honestly. The same thing will happen to the trucking industry that happened to factories, ect with all the automation around the globe. Welcome to the age of unemployment. It just means most will have no where to go anymore. Not only will the larger companies eliminate most of their drivers, but the current market that doesn’t have enough work for the people trying to get jobs will be flooded with millions more out of work due to automation.
We will be turning into china. Everyone will have to work 20 hrs a week making minimum wage just to keep a small apartment. Those will be the only jobs left. And if you have ever gotten in trouble and have any kind of record your done. Now that your backround checks tell you that you can’t be hired.
Terry Green says
I dont think we are going to loose our jobs. There is no way any company is going to let a truck autonomously drive itself thats just way too dangerous.
I was reading a week or two ago about some rich guy letting his self-driving Tesla drive him home and he got decapitated by the under side of a rig, the sun blocked the vision of the camera…..meaning those things still very much need human interaction or at least our attention.
Its going to need humans to drive through busy suburban areas, its going to need humans to change lanes and get off the freeway, and its going to need humans to dock. Some of the blogs i was reading said that the driving is extremely simple, it cant drive on streets because they are too complicated a for the computer so its going to be cruise control but it does slight turns to the left or right to match the lane but, it wont really change lanes to get from behind a slow driver.
They may raise our pay to be able to operate them or they may lower it because we don’t need to drive as much….. ooooor they may allow you to use it as a team driver if you can trust it while you sleep? I wouldn’t haha, but it could happen.
Either way you look at it they wont be making truckers obsolete anytime soon In my opinion
Terry Green says
Imagine being able to call your Truck to you like the Bat-mobile…. that would be Epic though lol
Ike says
I recently was at a trade show. Electric trucks and driverless trucks came up a lot. The reason given to me as far as why have a truck without a driver. Because no one wants to be a truck driver. They are predicting a super shortage in the future. At least qualified drivers. But the freight will have to be moved. I saw a young woman get in a truck, crank it up. Put the truck in reverse (it was an automatic) push a button and the truck blindsided into a dock by itself. She just sat there. And the truck never pulled up to correct itself. Squared up on the dock first try. Then they asked if we knew who the woman was. Of course we didn’t. They said she’s the one who developed the computer program to do this. It hopefully will be a while, but this industry is on the way out. A truck without a driver. No vacation, sleeper berth, lunch stops. Just aim it in the right direction and go.
Geno Iorio says
I have a truck that has a “collision mitigation” system installed. If the weatjer turns foggy, rainy, snowy the systems shuts down. So, only transport goods during good weather. ?? I doubt it.
Phil says
I’m all for it. I have seen more careless truck drivers every day. I look out more for them instead of 4 wheelers. If they wanna keep their jobs then step it up.
Kc says
Another stupid theory that will destroy lives more than human error. How are these great computer genuis minds going to stop hackers? STUPID is what STUPID does. One fatality on the roads should shut the mess down.
Melissa says
That hacker thing is a good point
Jason Aho says
I personally have one strong consideration. Computer and software developers have come a long way, but, we still hear of computer crashes and security breaches fairly regularly. If they could eliminate any and all threat of these issues, I say then, and ONLY then, should they be putting effort into autonomous vehicles.
Just my two cents worth…
Laura says
This will never become a reality during our life time.