Autonomous Paccar trucks hit the road with FedEx deliveries

Why don’t trucks use the spinning chains like fire trucks use ?

 

Let me tell to djoo, all concerned and sarcastic. Dvrls trucks WILL be around in few decades, BUT, they will run only dedicated routes: FedEx, UPS, local back and forth runs, ports (maybe to take containers out to the public), in a CLEAR weather and NOTHING more. There is no such thing as XRay camera as of yet to melt the ice/snow and clear the fog.
Flatbed, reefer, van cross country, regional, local, store, company and such deliveries, etc., with random pick up delivery as it is right now will NEVER go away. Dvrls trucks are just a gimmick (Makani anyone?), scare crow, just like green energy, which works only in certain conditions, cost more to make and maintain and so on.
Relax, do your thing with confidence and let them play, big boys like big toys)

 

What is the carrier's policy on driving mode (autonomous versus manual) in inclement weather?

And I presume that you have to drive the truck manually while at shippers and consignees, right? So when do you engage autonomous mode, when you are on surface streets or only when you are on controlled-access highways?

 

Then run across 24, head up 97 to PG, make a run into the bush a few hundred kms, and return to the mill with a load on.
Hopefully it has a bunch of robot arms to toss chains on the tires, and throw wrappers over the load.

 

My carriers policy is to disengage autonomy whenever I or my right seater (person who monitors the system) ever feel uncomfortable. We never lose data for disengaging and while in manual the system is still able to log data and learn from the driver. My company never forces us to keep it in autonomy or "ride it out."

We only engage into autonomy in areas that the company has mapped. Some surface streets but mainly interstates right now. Currently once at ship/con it's business as usual, driver drops+hooks and signs or turn in bills.

 

I have to ask, as a 34 year old driver, should I start working on my fall-back plan or stay in the industry past 2026. Believe it or not, and I can show proof to any naysayers, I have 15 years experience (yes I am 34) and was thinking on becoming a diesel mechanic to stay in the industry.
Also, do you have future prospects outside of driving at Aurora? I'm talking 10-20 years down the road. At the point when there really are no more drivers.

 

Yep, I saw one of those things running I45. I’m pretty sure the person in the driver seat was bobbing his head. It must have been a bump in the road.

 

A popular myth. In truth, the federal and state governments gave the land and subsidies to the railroad construction companies, not to the railroad operating companies. The construction companies sold all the land that was worth having and left the dregs. Once the railroads were built, they borrowed everything they could against the railroad, pocketed the money, and split, leaving a new railroad company with the debt. The Union Pacific Railroad was one of the biggest con jobs in US history. They bribed every congressman and senator they could by jinking the railroad through as many districts as they could and by handing out Union Pacific stock right and left. When the railroad was completed the company was born with so much debt it went bankrupt almost immediately and all those politicians and generals got nothing.

 

Those are available for trucks. They're really expensive and I think the chains will break too easily. A bit of a maintenance headache.