Self-driving vehicle developer Waymo has given the public a peek inside the cabs of their heavy-duty trucks. Sort of.
Reporters were invited to experience a “virtual ride along” in the cab of truck guided by the Waymo Driver system. The ride along was billed as a live demonstration. And while the feed reporters watched was in real-time, it was on a one-minute delay.
Waymo is the self-driving arm of Alphabet, Google’s parent company.
Inside the cab of the Peterbilt were two humans. One was in the driver’s seat, the other in the passenger’s. The person in the passenger seat had a laptop open and was observing the data coming in from the system’s sensors.
At the beginning of the demonstration, the human driver was in control of the vehicle. But after pulling onto I-10 outside Phoenix, the computer took over. Even when the machine driver took over, the human driver had his hands only a few inches from the steering wheel at all times.
This is the fourth generation Waymo Driver. It uses cameras, radar, and three different types of lidar sensors to observe the world around it. According to a spokesperson, it takes in information as far away as three football fields.
During the demonstration, the human driver took over when the route took them off of the freeway. Surface streets still present more of a challenge to the self-driving system.
The Waymo Driver hauled its trailer around 15 miles on I-10 and Route 202 over the course of the demonstration.
Waymo says that they’re still a few years away from commercial autonomous trucking. And they claim that even when it does start, it will be a gradual process.
Source: ttnews, bloomberg, freightwaves
Wow!!! Now they need a team for a driverless truck. That’ll solve the driver shortage. Demonstrate one of these at night, in heavy rain through a construction zone.
Are you saying bumpy road on a 15 degree angle 2 inches from a wall with flashing police lights blinding you at night is dangerous driver? I’m sure the nerds at waymo who have never had any experience in the industry factored that in. (Groans)
Or a blizzard in North Dakota with 6 inches of ice on the highway, and wind blowing 40 mph.
Yep unforseen glitches
that will remain and in some cases these sensors
can be an impediment to
Safety.
E.Jewell.
Carefully selected freeway route, perfect weather, and probably a low traffic day and time.
And the thought that they will ever be able to navigate city streets all across America, maneuver into docks, etc, is ludicrous. So what good is it? All of that expense (and repairs, maintenance) just to do *some* freeway driving, then have a driver take over to deliver it?
They are already spotting trailers in docks.
Wow!!! Now they need a team for a driverless truck. That’ll solve the driver shortage. Demonstrate one of these at night, in heavy rain through a construction zone. This was like a North Korean rocket launch: everything was closely monitored by the most knowledgeable personnel every step of the way. In a nuclear exchange, those people are in bunkers. Put a driverless truck in the ‘war zones’ we drive in and get back to us.
Last week, tesla proved the idiocy of self driving vehicles. 2 people to keep it running, in perfect conditions. Not impressed.
This is just a way of eliminating jobs. Treat it as such.
Autopilot crashes into stationary Police Cruiser;
Tech nerd: We need a new software update. (Tech speak for “OOPS!”)
Actually, this will be the future. The driverless truck will always have a driver and the computer will solely be a helper that never gets out of the cab. Hopefully, we will see a reduction in accidents and deaths due to driver fatigue. The computer will take over should the driver nod off, then slow the vehicle and alert the driver.
Waiting for some victims to sue this developer….and it will be all over the news.
Why cheaper to put it on the train. If you so want the elimination drivers. Train has got problems but does the same thing
y’all some science haters. PS: Progressives always win eventually.
Here we go another news media circle jerk ! Trying to makepeople believe are what they are not . I spit on this !!!! Hammer down !!
Autonomous vehicles are inevitable. I wonder when a front tire blows out how the computer is going to control the sudden jerk. I am open-minded because I know technology next mammoth advance.
Enjoy the psid year off drivers. When they’ve killed enough people we’ll come back and be needing triple our current minimum wage average.
Dear truckerreport team! Is there any other important news for us to read ?🤦🏻♀️
Cracks me up you people think it needs 2 people to operate it.. its called TEST drive. They are there for SAFETY reasons and to take in information.. WOW.. like it or not. It’s coming.. I’ll be retired by then from driving I hope bit it’s coming…
Now instead of drivers, they will be hiring observers! I think my next career move will be as an autonomous truck accident investigator. It appears that it will be the new up and coming career!
Mark my words; In the very new feature, it will be a felony to be involved in an accident, if the car was NOT on autopilot.
MARK MY WORDS!
Correction *very near future. Sorry, my autonomous auto correct keyboard malfunctioned. LOL!
Who will put snow chains on, and take them off? How will it change trailers? Collect the B.O.L and have it signed? Will it give it’s own pre and post trip inspections? If the load is over weight, will it adjust the tandems, and 5th wheel?
Obviously the driverless trucks will be rolled out in limited, very specific routes, like say, from the port to a dc. Dedicated stuff, no mt passes. Most of know that it all it takes (literally!) is few snowflakes to disable the Onguard so until they figure that out…🤷🏼♂️
Yep HIGH TECH IN OUR LIFE IS WHAT WE NEED!!! We have already seen HIGH TECH pick our president for us. What the HELL? Let the slant eyes make us a better HIGH TECH TRUCK.. See if it can’t give us a BIGGER virus so they can finish the rest of us off. I’m sure the demo rats are all in favor for it more stimulus checks will be sent to us drivers who they don’t need anymore,that way the government will have complete control of everybody free everything for everybody free food free medical free gasoline free paychecks free free free free free yeah that’s what we need free more free..
“…land of the free…”
Pretty easy for them to give out money away. Be a different story if they actually had to earn it!
What a frigging joke!
You guys are all denying this reality. Trucking is a way of life. Be glad you got to do it. One day, no one will know what kind of freedom we once had in this job. Consider yourselves lucky.
Big tech will fail, then be rebuilt, then fail, then be rebuilt. It’s global. If the USA doesn’t do it, then China will beat us. No one wants that. Be a patriot, beat China. Let this country be a pioneer in this field.
On the bright side, look forward to an autonomous electric RV that will cart you around the country without ever having to fuel it.
5G, AI, Starlink high speed internet from Space X. Universally connected devices across the IOT (Internet of Things) all sharing data in real time in what is called the infinite collection of data.
Next is robots, like the Boston Dynamics Spot and Atlas. All connected.
I’ve been trucking for 25 years. I figure, there’s another 20 left. This technology will be required and rolled out across all vehicles in the next 5 years. No one will stop it.
A.I. is great. Once it starts working against us though, it’s day is over.
The industry was doomed decades ago when deregulation hit, and the work-for-cheap, whine but do nothing drivers, along with those from south of the border, grew to destroy any good conditions that existed. Employers rule the day and the cheapest “driver” will win, and it won’t be a human.
I’ve been replaced, to many people we need to remember we are americans not a number, respect service excellent and integrity is the best way to build a company what is the all 4 in that 🥰
The thought of self driving trucks makes me sick, how about backing getting fuel and the Thousand other things you need to know while driving a truck completely idiotic
I think this is a way to get rid of us.I have been driving for 20 yrs.Technology does help ,but also hinder us behind the wheel.Theres more to being a semi driver than driving.