Robot trucks?? Are you kidding??

shogun · Sep 19, 2017

I'm not missing the point at all. You seem to have a very optimistic outlook on the possibilities of autonomous trucks, while I live in reality every day. This Jetson truck you envision sound so like nothing more than a self propelled trailer jif. You ever read Overdrive magazine in the 1980s? Those trucks were prototypes, and never developed. And I hardly see a business built in 1950s-1980s that's already paid for its facilities quickly adapting at the potential savings that may never come to fruition.

And why would they need to pay surcharges? Remember the autonomous truck is about saving billions by eliminating the employee/driver, so what's the ROI improving your facility for a small portion of the industry until full adaptation occurs? Projections and actual savings rarely line up and that's a tough sell to a man whose been getting deliveries the same way for roughly the same cost for 20 years with respect to inflation.

1278PA · Sep 19, 2017

shogun said: ↑

First of all, I absolutely will not allow any vehicle to drive me as I sit there and have to be at the ready waiting for a malfunction. I also won't do it for less money that I am doing it now, even if it means I have to walk away from trucking altogether. I see what you are getting at and the advantage of autonomous vehicles, but i don't need to attend to other matters. I have done a thorough pre trip, fueled, and know the route before I leave. I know what time each stop opens and which one I can take my 30 minute break at.

I know better than any computer or GPS the best way to go between stops and where issues arise. I bring tools to make repairs and I am quite capable in all facets of this job. No matter how much they hype it up, these new plastic trucks and electronics are absolute garbage. I had to turn my super duper Elog tablet off today since it froze up, and I have had to figure out why the charger stopped working after two months. Garbage.
Click to expand...

And the irony is all this automation is because of human error but humans need to backup the automation? Hmmm

not4hire · Sep 19, 2017

1278PA said: ↑

Yeah but your example of toll collection is not a difficult task to automate because it's only a few tasks with no real variables. Automating jobs like truck driving that has a 1,000 different variables will be extremely difficult to fully automate.
Click to expand...

Moore's Law

Blue Nomad · Sep 19, 2017

gentleroger said: ↑

And how much time will you spend on the interstate in between stops? It will be a long, long time before a computer can handle ltl work, or get into a lot of customers or handle surface streets. The truck drives itself on the interstate while the driver attends to other matters, when hitting the surface street the meat sack in the truck changes from office drone to truck driver.
Click to expand...

There will be some type of programmer or robotic engineer or something riding along, not typical trucker drivers going along for the ride I would suspect.

rank · Sep 20, 2017

Blue Nomad said: ↑

There will be some type of programmer or robotic engineer or something riding along, not typical trucker drivers going along for the ride I would suspect.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a money saver. Wonder if that guy gets paid by the mile

izifaddag · Sep 22, 2017

not4hire said: ↑

Four-hundred-plus-ton autonomous haul trucks are already in use in Australia, Chile, Canada and likely other locations. They "see" the road just fine. How difficult do you really think it will be to get a garden-variety 80,000 lb truck to accurately follow a ribbon of asphalt from one building to the next? Will autonomous trucks replace all drivers? No, but they'll sure put a serious dent in the ~60% (SWAG) of driving that are repetitive routes.

Self-driving, 416-ton trucks are hauling raw materials around Australia
Click to expand...

I think you are right - ultimately.
Yes I do think it is going to be extremely difficult to follow a ribbon of asphalt. In fact as it stands right now with what I see all over the USA I think it is impossible.
Will it come?
Absolutely.
Just not for a long time yet.
Regarding most news articles regarding this subject they are slanted. The info needs to be taken in context and one needs to understand just exactly what are all the pieces of the puzzle are before committing to a view.
I spent a long time working in the RF world. I was involved with some early GPS stuff too. I am applying my knowledge with a little common sense. My description of the Iridium project happened. I was right, Motorola was wrong. Cost goodness knows how much. Wish I had 1% of that wasted money.
This is definitely coming but not anytime soon.

AModelCat · Sep 22, 2017

not4hire said: ↑

Four-hundred-plus-ton autonomous haul trucks are already in use in Australia, Chile, Canada and likely other locations. They "see" the road just fine. How difficult do you really think it will be to get a garden-variety 80,000 lb truck to accurately follow a ribbon of asphalt from one building to the next? Will autonomous trucks replace all drivers? No, but they'll sure put a serious dent in the ~60% (SWAG) of driving that are repetitive routes.

Self-driving, 416-ton trucks are hauling raw materials around Australia
Click to expand...

This is true. Suncor has an entire mine area dedicated to testing autonomous Komatsu trucks. I can see the oil company's point of view though. They pay $150k-$200k a year for a haul truck operator, which is pretty much the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to mining operations and skills. With the cost of oil being so low, autonomous haul trucks could potentially save $600k-$800k a year in operations cost when you factor in you need 4 operators to keep the truck running 24/7.

izifaddag · Sep 22, 2017

Studebaker Hawk said: ↑

I have been waiting since 1958 when I was 5 years old to hop in my neighbors flying car. He never got it, I never got a ride. It was right there on the cover of Popular Mechanix....
Click to expand...

That is exactly what I am saying.
And why hasn't that happened?
Is it because we are technically incapable of making flying cars?
No of course not.
It is infrastructure, insurance, the legal system and government.

We are very advanced with the tech involved with all this but as for the rest...............good luck.

izifaddag · Sep 22, 2017

shogun said: ↑

I need someone to call my first stop in Bartlett, Tn tomorrow and tell them to improve their infrastructure so I can get to the dock without tearing up my truck. Then call my 2nd stop and pick up the nails in the parking lot and move the cones out of the way (infrastructure am I right?) Then call my third stop and tell them to grind down that curb so I don't have to jump it (#infrastructure problems). Then call my fourth stop and tell them to widen their parking lot so I don't have to pull into the yard across the street and back down a hill (infrastructure strikes again!) (Luckily I told them to not load it on a skirted trailer). My fifth stop is actually somewhat easy. Please hurry up autonomous truck and show me how it's done. It's almost as if these places were built twenty and thirty years ago and not anticipating robot trucks or 53' trailers for that matter.
Click to expand...

YOU NAILED IT !!!

izifaddag · Sep 22, 2017

shogun said: ↑

I'm not missing the point at all. You seem to have a very optimistic outlook on the possibilities of autonomous trucks, while I live in reality every day. This Jetson truck you envision sound so like nothing more than a self propelled trailer jif. You ever read Overdrive magazine in the 1980s? Those trucks were prototypes, and never developed. And I hardly see a business built in 1950s-1980s that's already paid for its facilities quickly adapting at the potential savings that may never come to fruition.

And why would they need to pay surcharges? Remember the autonomous truck is about saving billions by eliminating the employee/driver, so what's the ROI improving your facility for a small portion of the industry until full adaptation occurs? Projections and actual savings rarely line up and that's a tough sell to a man whose been getting deliveries the same way for roughly the same cost for 20 years with respect to inflation.
Click to expand...

Shogun this is exactly what I have been saying.
How many years ago did we see the amazing technology that was going to take all out jobs away by automating warehouses? Donkeys years ago is when.
Has it happened?
Hell no !!
Why?
Because it costs a fortune.
The only automated warehouses I have seen have been built from the foundation up. There are under concrete GUIDANCE cables to start with. Exactly as I have said is needed with trucks. These warehouses cost a mint.
They are so cost prohibitive that in practical terms they are an impossibility.
The cost of setting up or changing an existing trucking company over to automation is going to be so expensive that they will be only to happy to have that driver.
Boy I didn't realize that this thread would yield so many good posts both for and against. Glad I got this off my chest.

Log in or Sign up

Forums

Find Trucking Jobs

Robot trucks?? Are you kidding??

shogun Road Train Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

1278PA Road Train Member

not4hire Road Train Member

Blue Nomad Bobtail Member

rank Road Train Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

AModelCat Road Train Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

Wait, employers can't reach you!

Log in or Sign up

Useful Searches

Find Trucking Jobs

Robot trucks?? Are you kidding??

shogun Road Train Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!

1278PA Road Train Member

not4hire Road Train Member

Blue Nomad Bobtail Member

rank Road Train Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

AModelCat Road Train Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

izifaddag Medium Load Member

Wait, employers can't reach you!