Autonomous trucks delivering the mail

Actually, no they're not on the road right now and never have been. As long as their is a human inside monitoring everything and making sure nothing goes wrong, they aren't autonomous. When a truck or a car actually makes a trip of some significant distance without a person on board, then there will be an autonomous vehicle on the road. You may call it arguing over semantics, but autonomous means just that, no human intervention, and the technology isn't there yet primarily because of our infrastructure.

 

You’d think stop lights would be all computerized by now since computers are so smart.

 

TuSimple revs up Texas with new UPS autonomous trucking routes - FreightWaves

 

They tucked this in on the very last paragraph of the article.

"Currently, all TuSimple runs feature a human driver behind the wheel."

These fluff pieces are designed to create revenue for the development companies. Not one of them has done these runs without a driver in the cab, and when they finally do begin testing fully autonomous trucks on the road, the first accident will create a bonanza for the lawyers who love to sue freight carriers. I stand by what I've been saying all along. The liability for fully autonomous vehicles driving on roads with other vehicles driven by humans will assure that it never happens.

 

Not saying they don’t, what I’m saying is the industry is advancing.

If swift can survive its current accident and payout rate I’m pretty sure it can survive it autonomous trucks accident payouts.

the expansion is placing drivers who are currently hauling for ups in those lanes into other lanes further disrupting the industry.


Think of it. 10 drivers who’s kids are now being taken away from them to be given to autonomous trucks, what will these ten driver do? If their are O/O’s they will have to find other lanes.

now imagine if it’s 100 or 1000 of these trucks or even 10000.

the displacement will further drive rates down.

 

I am sorry but let's face it, society don't give a crap about us drives, period. Look on situation with badges taxi cab in NYC, before Uber stepped it , it could cost you 500k+ to become taxi cab driver with your won authority. Now Uber stepped in and completely destroyed it. Did someone give a crap about that taxi driver who just wasted 500k on a license permit? Nope, so it will be with all of us. No one will crap that 100 000 people will loose a job...
Or look on plans where automakers like GM or Ford was shutting down. Did society care? Nope. Thas how America works, you either adopted to it, or you living on a side of a street.

 

No one cared for the owner operator before and no one will care for the owner operator after.


Only way I see this working for owner ops is owner ops purchasing autonomous trucks and living in them as the truck runs 24/7.

 

If they get the investment, it’s going to be harder and harder to deny this will never happen.


TuSimple seeking $250 million in new funding to scale self-driving trucks – TechCrunch

 

“The USDOT is working in concert with technology makers to speed public acceptance of autonomous driving technologies”


This should start making people a little nervous.


Mega Carriers Partner with TuSimple in Historic Deal to Run Driverless Trucks Nationwide



Now I doubt it will be totally driverless, but I suspect wages are going to go lower and lower.