Self driving trucks

Mr iTruck.....

::facepalm::

So condescending.

I like you.

 

Wired reports World’s First Self-Driving Semi-Truck Hits the Road.

The way I see this working is the driver can sleep while the truck rolls down the highway, and the driver wakes up when the truck gets close to the exit. Eliminate the downtime for sleeping and eliminate the highway driving all at the same time.

 

I see nothing to sugesst that they will put in millions and millions of sensors in the road..As that would make the whole thing very cost prohibitive..IMO

 

Well, if it doesn't tailgate like the article states, then I am all for it. I see too many truck drivers tailgating .

 

Just heard this on CNBC today http://video.cnbc.com/gallery/?video=3000377262 and read a couple of other articles.

A couple things come to mind: Given that some docks are ridiculously tight and spaced poorly (usually designed for 48's) how does the truck get backed in? If you need a real driver to come in and dock that raises a whole host of issues concerning liability, especially if they have "jockeys" move trucks around that aren't theirs. Or maybe each company will have drivers stationed at warehouses. What about O/O's? Sounds like a lot of issues need to be thought out.

Another idea I read was "On the open road you could have a convoy of closely spaced trucks 30 feet apart being lead by a human driven rig". Well, we know that some four wheelers will certainly jam their way into that line so how will that work?

The whole idea of a LOT of weight moving on the roads with little supervision other than a computer just scares the bejeezzers outta me. I thought the container and rail system was supposed to be the answer for long haul?

 

You know we sent people to the moon in 69 to prove we could. Gonna build a colony they said, after a few Houston we have a problem episodes the desire has slowed or maybe reality set in. I can see this goin same way. Why spend the coin for a rig to drive itself but yet still have to hire a driver to maneuver it. Really so the driver is gonna work for less, no more regulations on HOS etc. It's costing way more than current set up and isn't truly driverless. Course could be a conspiracy just like alleged moon landing lol

 

The crashes should be spectacular

 

"Humans Don’t Want These Jobs

Another point in favor of giving robots control is the serious and worsening shortage of humans willing to take the wheel. The lack of qualified drivers has created a “capacity crisis,” according to an October 2014 report by the American Transportation Research Institute. The American Trucking Associations predicts the industry could be short 240,000 drivers by 2022. (There are roughly three million full-time drivers in the US.)"

Here's an idea: Instead of treating humans as animals (locked in a drivers seat inside a closet for 14 hours a day trying to beat the clock) and pay truck drivers decent livable wages for TIME SPENT instead of some arbitrary mileage voodoo wages,...maybe there wouldn't be a shortage of drivers.

 

I think one report said something like 80% of current jobs from hard labor to white collar jobs will be eliminated by 2020. Will be interesting to see what 80% unemployment does to the country.

 

Imagine getting on I-80 or whatever heading west, you don't need to stop for 500 miles, the computer takes over and you go to sleep. The alarm wakes you up 30 minutes before your destination, you get something to eat and take over driving just before getting to the exit. You drive the rest of the way to the receiver, unload, go to your next shipper, and repeat.

If the truck did all your highway driving and you got to sleep, eat, watch t.v., whatever you want, you're not driving, wouldn't that be a lot better?