No human truck drivers in 10 years?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by wyldhorses, Sep 25, 2012.

  1. Winkjr

    Winkjr Road Train Member

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    I want to learn how to fly a helicopter. I was a mechanic in the marines on c130s and helicopters used to go by on the flight line and I watch in amazement. From little to small there's something about them that intrigues me. I flew on ch53s a ch46 and a Huey the funnest ride was the Huey the pilot was real cool and stuff.
     
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  3. jgremlin

    jgremlin Heavy Load Member

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    The lawyers and the law makers will sort it out. I don't really see it as an issue that would keep development of the technology from happening.

    Irrelevant. The system doesn't use GPS to determine if an intersection if empty, it uses cameras and radar.

    Is reduction of traffic congestion really a requirement for the technology to be successful? What about the prospect of a dramatic reduction in the number of drunk driving deaths? In the number of distracted driving (i.e. texting) deaths? I think either of those would be enough to make the technology successful.


    It would depend on the details of the particular accident which is exactly how it works already.

    There is already a lot of circuitry in cars. Tons actually. And most of it holds up pretty well all things considered. As for parts replacement cost, people said the same thing when power windows became available as an option. And the same thing when air conditioning became an option. I don't really think it'll be a deal breaker.

    There will almost definitely be the need for regulation. As for whether or not the public will accept the technology, that remains to be seen. There will almost certainly be those who will avoid making the switch. But my guess is there will be no shortage of people who will eagerly take to the technology.

    Why would you have to give up any of it? Right now, you put your destination in your GPS and go. If you don't like the route, you tell the GPS to pick another or you tell the GPS which way you want to take. Why would that change with a driverless car? It wouldn't. You still tell the car where you want to go and no one else has to know. You still tell the car how you want to get there and no one else has to know. The only difference is who does the driving.
     
  4. goodchoice10

    goodchoice10 Heavy Load Member

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    Self driving trucks????

    No more CSA? No more FMCSA? No more DOT/road side inspections? No more EOBR?

    Who's gonna blow the air horn for the little kids in the four wheelers on the highway?

    But wait.....no more drivers....whose left to argue with?
     
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  5. ColoradoGreen

    ColoradoGreen Heavy Load Member

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    I do see it as an issue to the development of the technology as the system progressively becomes more and more complicated. It is one thing for Google to obtain a specialized permit for one vehicle (which I'm about certain would state any accident the vehicle gets into that Google is shelling out for it, but, that's simply a guess), the more and more of these that enter the road the greater and greater the risk becomes. Next time, don't use a cop-out answer of "they'll figure it out." Think for a moment about the implications regarding liable parties with technology like a driverless vehicle and who can be found at fault.

    I'll admit, I did not make this as clear as I could have. I do not refer to an intersection being clear in regards to whether other vehicles are in it, but, in regards to construction.

    Nice Red Herring. I didn't ask anything in regards to drunk driving or texting driving deaths. Please, address the question.


    Another cop-out. What's being asked is this: Who can potentially be held liable in these accidents? And will these parties being potentially liable to damages hinder the further development of the car?

    Apples and oranges. I'm asking about the overall maintenance costs of an entire unit versus a closed system within that unit. The plain and simple answer here is that you haven't the slightest clue, no one does excepting those at Google keeping up their experiment, as to what sort of maintenance costs these will add to the costs of maintaing a car.

    Will people be willing to submit to greater regulation for the convenience of not having to drive their car?

    You know, I have an incredibly difficult time believing you didn't deliberately misread that last paragraph in order to make a point about how "We still choose where we go." Well, I thank you greatly for the fantastic insight that this car will take us where we want to go. Let me clarify for a moment: We enjoy a relative degree of freedom and autonomy from direct governmental oversight of our actions while driving our vehicles. Yes, we're supposed to register, license, insure, and we deal with cops on the roads, but, by the same token, the oversight of things such as maintenance of the vehicle are concerned? It's the old slippery slope. Automobiles already record a fair amount of information about your driving, will this increase with these driverless cars? What sort of access will be determined legal for the government to obtain and how easily, and will people be okay with that? You've already admitted that further regulation is highly likely with this system, how much and how easily will people accept that?

    And, please do keep in mind, that at no point have I denied the eventual possibility of driverless vehicles. What I have asked are practical considerations concerning the potential legal situations surrounding these vehicles, as well as overall benefit versus traditional vehicles.

    Tolstoy Syndrome's a #####, ain't it?

    Maybe you're right though, maybe this technology will enter the mainstream quickly, and like so many other technologies that have entered our society without some consideration regarding the potential negative situations created by that technology the fallout will be tremendous. Simply take a look at the history auto-makers have of recalls because of faulty products. Let's imagine for a moment what happens when that defect isn't in the shocks, brakes, or master-cylinder they choose, but in the radar or video system.
     
  6. jgremlin

    jgremlin Heavy Load Member

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    The answers to questions like this will depend entirely on the specifics of the technology and how its implemented. So I don't see the point of debating it or even thinking about it too much until he have a commercially viable example of the technology and thus a set of specs. And you can call it a cop out all you like but the bottom line is it will get worked out when the time comes.


    Same answer still applies. The google car uses cameras and radar (lidar actually) to figure that out, not GPS or a database. One would assume any commercially viable version would have to employ something similar that will allow the vehicle to determine and therefore avoid any and all road hazards without needing to rely on any kind of outside data stream. It has to be able to sense it and figure out what it is and how to safely avoid it all on its own and the google car seems to be able to do that.



    I did. You are the first person that I've seen mention the requirement that driverless vehicles decrease traffic congestion in order for people to want them. So I ask again, is that a requirement for them to be successful? Because I didn't know that it was. If we're going to arbitrarily decide that eliminating traffic congestion is a requirement then my answer would be I have no idea. I suppose if the engineers left it up to me, I'd require that all cars cause people to become sterile and that would end up eliminating the traffic congestion issue eventually. Sadly, I'm only half kidding. You want the traffic to go away, stop making babies like they're going out of style. Simple as that.




    Well the first issue is what accidents? The whole idea with these is that they don't get into accidents in which they can be found to be at fault. And so far that is proving to be the case. Will there be accidents? I suppose there will be a few. But the same answer I gave above regarding liability applies here as well. It is pointless to speculate about this sort of thing until the exact specs of a commercially viable example exist. Until we know exactly how the technology will be implemented we simply can't answer this.


    It will be up to the manufacturers to figure those numbers out and come up with designs which allow those numbers to be low enough so as not to adversely effect profitability. But that's what manufacturers have been doing forever and I see no reason why they won't be able to do it with this type of technology.


    Well I think they will. Truckers hate the government and any regulations imposed by the government. But then again as far as I can tell, truckers hate just about everything except cigarettes and filthy truckstop bathrooms. The fact is there is a very large segment of the population that really doesn't give the government or regulation all that much thought. That is unfortunate, but it is true none the less. They just want their gadgets to work the way they want them to work and as long as that happens, they're happy. IOW, I don't think most people will care.



    There was a time when there weren't any automobiles and therefore there weren't any laws regulating them. But somehow people took to the automobile and all the new laws that came along with them. The same can be said for television, for aircraft, for cell phones and even for computers with internet access.

    There will almost certainly be glitches in development path of the technology. And there will almost certainly be some fatalities as a result. This is why automakers don't allow any kind of innovation into production until the legal department has assessed the risks and the accounting department has factored that risk into the profit potential of the end product and found a way to make the numbers work.

    And this is where you're going to accuse me of giving a cop out answer again but what are looking for from me? I'm not an automaker. Its not my job to figure these issues out. These are questions that the manufactures will have to work out once a set of actual specs exists. They're not for me to decide or debate or even think about. The manufacturers are either going to come up with a way to make the technology profitable and at an acceptable level liability risk to themselves or they're not. I think they will. I think the evolution of it and the transition to it will be slow. But I think we'll see it within our lifetime.
     
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  7. goodchoice10

    goodchoice10 Heavy Load Member

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    geez....after all this rhetoric maybe we need self driving trucks.......think of the forum conversation then :biggrin_25511:
     
  8. T...Street

    T...Street Light Load Member

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    Nah , you can't argue with someone who saw it on google..Until the technology is built that will allow a "machine" to think and reason and make decisions like humans do then this will remain on the sidelines, interesting and a possibility yes but just that a possibility. I for one don't want to live in a world where machines think.....
     
  9. MtnTideRooster

    MtnTideRooster Bobtail Member

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    Lmao, hey Roadmedic, makes ya wanna go hang out in the lot to see the look on the faces of lizards when they hear a automated voice "requesting free coffee"...
     
  10. MtnTideRooster

    MtnTideRooster Bobtail Member

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    @wyldhorses- about your comment, do what I do, watch FNC, because ya can tell who's a man or woman reporter- just don't stare at them gals when the wife come in... lol, can't hear jake in detroit over her screamin'... anyway God Bless & be safe out there :)
     
  11. chompi

    chompi Road Train Member

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    To the original poster of the thread.....

    There are very few human drivers out there now, I don't see much of a difference in the future.
     
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