Self driving truck LA to Jax

This is exactly how I see it too!
I worked for some of these guys. ( not self driving technology) These reports in the media come right out of the playbook.

 

Added costs with not many benefits here if the driver has to sit there and babysit. Then of course throw in dangerous low traction situations and there will be autonomous driving trucks littering the medians and ditches. Should keep the heavy recovery guys busy.

 

That probably nails it. I don’t think these guys get it, or maybe they do understand what a fools errand this is and don’t care. Just trying to lure the VC money in knowing this will never work.

 

So the article says the truck handled "nearly all of the highway driving."

Wake me up when it can do all of the driving, on and off the highway.

 

They also want to create truck convoys, where the second truck autonomously drafts the first human driven truck.

I don't want to brag, but I came up with an idea that would work even better. It would be more fuel efficient, it would lessen reliance on computers and it would be cheaper.

I call my invention a converter dolly, but we can work on that name.

 

I remember about 10 years back a European company working on this exact thing. One driver driving 2 or even 3 trucks. I think it was mercedes but I found this link that shows the ideas isn’t new.

 

In addition to the safety driver, there was also a safety engineer who was monitoring the truck systems. The truck safety driver was also governed by HOS laws, so no real savings. Two guys doing one mans job.

 

I vote for the name Frank .

 

True but with steering wheel holders multiplying faster rate, and wages dropping in the industry to keep prices low, there is no other way but to automate driving and minimum wage driver with maybe safety bonuses.

hell even having 2 minimum wage drivers behind the wheel is cheaper then the current company team.


$600 per week per driver Salary thats $1200 total cost for team

7000 miles a week.

A cost of 5.8 cents per mile.


Still cheaper then having a skilled driver.


Most vet owner ops gross that daily so it’s cheaper to push us out.

 

I know right! We have revolutionary technology at my job where a truck with a trailer gets followed by another trailer. It's amazing stuff lol. One driver and TWO trailers! I hear there are certain parts of the country where they have figured out three