Self Driving Trucks are Coming

I’m already building a warehouse at a secret location to store and later ship out stolen goods as I sell them in my Amazon store.

 

Just buy a loader and as they go buy hit them and knock them over...steal the contents and nobody gets hurt...it would be at an epidemic level. Be great for towing companies and low beds hauling the scrap trucks away.

 

To much Robert dinero movies?

1. 5-10 years I say.
2. Not so much increase and most likely less as sleepers removed for bigger fuel tanks to allow coast to coast without stopping.
3. True but influx of dry van and reefer drivers might cause issues.
4. Not hard to modify current inflate systems to throw a code if tire low or not inflating, also not hard to install inflate systems on all 5 axles. Military trucks have this capability.
5. Fuel station attendants or mobile curlers at shippers and receivers. Not hard to outfit 500-600 gallons of fuel now that sleeper and passenger side of the cab is not needed.



As for hyjackings, many safety systems can be deployed.

Ie if gps jammer is used then truck will relay to HQ of issue, if internet and gps is lost then maybe a safety precdure would mean truck starts emiting an alarm and lights start flashing. To give nearby drivers notice of issue and to stay clear. Which can also alert LEO, deterrent on theft.

Other things can be taken into consideration to prevent hijackings.

 

There is absolutely nothing to worry about in our lifetime. Maybe the next generation but I figure the trucks are still 40-50 years away from putting our jobs in danger.

First you have all the computer issues
- People have already displayed they can mess with automated vehicles by putting stickers on signs or spray painting lines on roads. This will have to be overcome or the people that love coloring on walls and painting on things that aren't theirs will just go around turning automated semis into 80,000lb wrecking balls by using spray paint to put new lines on a road to direct the truck into a building or oncoming traffic.
- For now vehicles do still need a driver present to take over in case of an emergency (so technically drivers are still needed, plus needed to fuel and dock the trucks), but people can't even pay attention when they control their vehicle, really dumb to think they will pay attention when they don't have to control the vehicle. Already been numerous avoidable accidents due to the 'drivers' of self driving cars not being ready to take over. Things would be very different if the driver is eliminated.
- A computer can't yet make split second decisions to avoid an accident. If a car spins out and stops right in front of the truck right at an off ramp will the computer see the off ramp as an alternative to collision or will it just lock up the brakes? Will it be able to check if the shoulder is a viable alternative to an occupied travel lane if there is no off ramp to use?
- Weather. People with on-guard systems can speak for their inaccuracy, hitting the brakes when a shadow or leaf is seen by the sensor, or other things like rain/snow causing issues. How will the cameras and sensors be kept clean on these automated trucks? Will an automated truck know what is safe to drive in terms of wind speed and load weight and be able to handle sudden gusts? A human driver can see things like trees and overpasses that will block the wind so can anticipate and prepare for sudden changes in wind speed.
- Terrain. So far every test has been on flat ground. Will a computer know what speed is safe to travel in regards to steep grades and load weight or will it always try to go the speed limit? Especially taking into account road conditions.
- How will the truck handle heavy traffic near major cities with cars darting in and out without warning preventing a safe following distance? Will the truck just stop or slow down constantly trying to maintain a safe following distance? I'd love to see it try to take 95 over the GWB and through NYC during rush hour. If it slows to preserve following distance then it will end up stopped in the middle of the road because it is impossible to have a safe following distance going through there during heavy traffic, cars will take any space large enough to fit them and even try to get in if the space isn't large enough.
- Routing. If there is an accident/construction/weather and the road is closed, what will the truck do? Sit in the road waiting or will it be able to look for an alternative route or place to park? What about changes in truck access? An Atlas is only up to date when it gets printed, a GPS is only up to date as of when maps were last downloaded and if the provider performed the updates. A computer wont know if route info is just inaccurate. When I worked for TransAm, their GPS thought a 30 mile stretch of i76 near Pittsburgh had a dozen bridges that were only 12ft5in, but only when heading west.

Then there are the company side of things involving costs:
- Cost. Only the largest companies would be able to afford them, and even then maybe not afford to replace their entire fleet. New technology so it will be a long while before the price drops enough for them to become common on roadways.
- Liability. Right now people will sue trucking companies over accidents. But major issues like deaths and injuries will still come down on the driver for violations resulting in jail time etc. If something goes wrong with a self driving semi and it crashes, who will be held liable? Especially if there is no driver. Who at the company will be willing to accept the jail time for sending out a driverless truck with bad tires or faulty breaks that kills somebody?
- Public Perception. All it will take is one incident such as a self driving semi crashing into a van or bus full of kids and the general public will lose trust in them and lose trust in companies using them, even if a human driver should have been available to take over control. Point number 1 way above. Stickers on a sign, lines painted on the ground, or even a steer blowout or road debri. This will be a major hit to big companies using them and they would suffer stock drops and loss of customers causing loss of profits. A big no no for them. The more self driving trucks in their fleet, the bigger the damage this would cause. Negative publicity and impression would make it hard for them to sell off these trucks and without non-automated trucks to preserve income it could mean the company goes out of business.
- Eliminating the driver poses other issues such as fueling and docking. Who will incur the costs of setting up and paying for the systems for this and the liability for any damages if something goes wrong? Every single gas station/shipper/receiver in the US or the carriers? All are in business to make money and it would be a ridiculously huge bill for carriers to pay even if split between them all it may not be affordable. Shippers/receivers/gas stations may not be willing to do it either due to cost until the trucks become common on the roads unless they charge carriers to use the system, and carriers may not want the added expense. But lack of this infrastructure also severely hinders the ability for fully automated trucks to become common.

 

Drivers are not going to stop and get involved to save someone's freight. And in many areas of BC the cops should be there in a few hours, some places though within a day lol.
Them trucks putting on their own sets of triples on every axle should be an interesting trick, and singles on the steers. They are not going anywhere till a big beefy chain is on every single tire in the winter.
Those automatic chains that fling the little bits of chain on a spinner under the drive tires are useless.
No...I am not worried about self driving trucks even one bit...the truck is completely useless without a good driver behind the wheel. When its in the ditch on its side, man driven tow trucks, loaders, gravel trucks, and low beds, will come clean up the contents. Be more employment than there is now for drivers. And at huge cost.
My trucks and loaders start at double the normal rate to go to a crash cleanup, rates increase from there. Happy to quadruple the rates because they are in such demand. Watching a computer try to back into a construction site with a gravel truck in mud and do a perfect spread should be fun to watch though. Or how it will take machinery in and out of the logging shows 200 kms up a little muddy logging road...lets not even mention how its going to load and unload the equipment and chain it down. I guess some little robot will climb out and start the dozer/skidder/processor/feller/loader/button top/ or whatever and drive it onto the trailer and toss a dozen chains on it and then successfully bring it off say "Lost Ledge" so named for the drivers and trucks lost going over the cliff and dropping a few thousand feet when they didn't make the switch back just right because they couldn't slow down on the 29% grade. That is one hell of a robot!
Any robot that can do all that deserves the job.
It might exist 1400 years after I die of old age!
Dream world is what you live in if you think self driving trucks will take over in 10 years.

 

If a driverless truck broke down and angry mobs of unemployed humans set the truck on fire and drive away. lol

 

I didnt see nothin. lol

 

I believe if research continues in spite of the many obstacles faced, driverless trucks could indeed become reality. I don't believe it will be very soon, but may be sooner than I think.

The facts are, man is very capable of making decisions that put people's jobs and ocupations in jeopardy for the sake of the dollar. If big fleets can see it as a way to save money and the research companies can continue recieving funding despite a few lawsuits there is no telling what changes we may see in enough years. The facts are, big companies aren't in business because of love of their employees. They are in business to make money. Robots have taken many jobs from people all ready. Truck drivers may be next.

It does no good to live in fear of losing your job though. If it happens, there will be a way through it.

 

Auto-Pilot has been around for years in aircraft but that doesnt mean airliners got rid of the pilots. You cant, what if something really bad goes wrong. Same thing with self driving trucks, it might be able to drive on its own on the interstate, but youd likely need a driver for city driving or other high risk driving. I know company owners are drooling all over this, but the laws of unintended consequence are built into everything. I highly doubt itll ever get to the point to where drivers are just eliminated. Even Walmart self checkout needs a person nearby to make sure stuff isnt getting stolen or if machine acts up.

 

So then I guess now is the time for company drivers to begin leaving their companies to start their own fleets, so that they can eventually buy driverless trucks to compete with the mega carriers.