Self driving trucks and our future

Or would not have been speeding in a construction zone and probably not tailgating.

 

Self-driving trucks won't be able to operate with the consistent precision required of human drivers without massive infrastructure outlays that would standardize yards, highways, roads, intersections, and all that jazz.

Meanwhile, we already have a massive standard way of transporting heavy cargo that requires very few humans to operate: trains.

 

There are automated helicopters that will plot is own course flying low through mountains. Getting a truck to drive itself on ice isn't going to be that hard.
It's not as far fetched as some people think, they will learn alot from the automated cars.

 

They can and they will with no new infrastructure required. You are right about one thing though. They won't operate with the precision currently seen by human drivers. They will easily exceed that level of precision.

 

We already have trains so what is the point of self driving trucks going cross country? It would be cheaper and more efficient currently to just build more tracks and more rail yards to accomidate increased intermodal freight vs trying to create drone trucks and the huge ethics legal battles over accountability with drone tractor trailers.

 

Great Point! That would be some serious ingenuity to create a self serviced wheeler. First and foremost there would have to be more research done concerning safety and DOT regulations. Imagine how the public would feel with a seatless 18 wheeler on the road with them? It may happen but if so, there would still be room for truckers because not every company would be on board. You can't get the same quality work that a live body would guarantee. There's clients, customers, and companies that are involved, therefore it would be a little more complicated then to hold a computer accountable for loads. They would have to think of all aspects of trucking, worse case scenarios and best case scenarios... I'll bite my tongue on this and don't ever quote me but I would argue that most definitely, truckers are needed and are irreplaceable.

 

I can see both sides of the argument here.

While we dont have flying cars or colonies on Mars...how many of you knew 20 years ago that we would be able to do all of this on a cellular phone smaller than your hand: trade stocks, send emails, watch movies, take high quality digital photos, check weather and road conditions, find cheapest fuel prices...rant on TTR about your job...Anyone notice how payphones have all but up and vanished in the last 10 years with barely a peep? I was part of the last generation to do check-calls, ETAs, and get load assignments over a pay phone! Does that make me an old timer?

While I dont think it would be extremely difficult to set up a system like this on places like the I80 turnpike soon, setting up the right system to be accurate enough to navigate every ribbon road in the hills in TN, KY, PA, NC, etc would take decades at this point, and may not even happen on our lifetimes.

With that being said, no one has really come out and said this: It is all about moving freight cheaper...cheaper on paper anyway. The HOS rules have proven all the more since EOBRs have become common, that they do not improve safett one bit. They only improve compliance, while big money litigators and insurance companies have paid lots of money to make society believe they have improved safety.

Think about what a waste of resources a sleeper is, adding thousands of pounds of weight to every truck. Not to mention height and length. Your average human driver is probably safe to say 180lbs (we could debate that all day)

Look at what a waste of space a truck stop is. And a wasteland after years of trash and pee bottles get compacted into the pavement. In 50 years what we know as the "Rochelle Petro" or "Lake Station Flying J" may be triple the size they are now. But they wont sell food or have TV room. They will be nothing more than a huge parking lot and, transfer docks and staging area where daycab drivers come to pick up trailers for local deliveries...until automated trucks are able to "safely" navigate every road in our country. They may have a few armed security guards and I.T. personell supervising the fuel pumps and parking areas, but human interaction will be a bare minimum. Maybe even those humans will be replaced by robots. It will be controlled access, and time sensitive access...unless you have the right p/u or del info and clearance credentials...you dont get in.

I dont think this is the say all, end all way it will happen. But Im sure some form of it will. I dont think we will see or feel the impacts for another 20 years or so. But slowly, sooner or later, it will happen.

Think about going back in time, walking down the streets of your hometown in 1900. While you see a lot of people who are dressed different than you are used to and talk funny, you might recognize a lot of the buildings, and houses, and most of the streets. You see rows of horses tied to hitching posts, stagecoaches as well as simple buggies trot on by, and the occasional street cars on the few main streets lucky enough to be brick or stone. You walk by a wagon and carriage shop, suddenly an 1899 Oldsmobile turns the corner and put put putters by at 9MPH. Everyone on the block stops what they are doing to stop and stare for a bit at the rich, young, well dressed couple , for some folks from way out of town its thw first time they have seen such a contraption. The mechanics in the wagon shop comment on the latest fad of the horseless carriage, and how cumbersome and expensive it would be for the common man to own one, let alone be able to drive it on the horse trails they called roads. How many people in 1900 could fathom the Eisenhower interstate system? Yet before some of those people died, it became a reality. It is far from perfect, but is still here and still growing. What do the next 60 years hold for us?

 

Setting up a system on the roads themselves won't happen ever. This is because it isn't necessary to set up ANYTHING that isn't already on the roads in order for self driving vehicles to work. All of the technology is carried on the vehicle itself. That means these vehicles can safely navigate I80 as easily as they can navigate Main St in any city or town in the country. And that's not in the future, that's right now. Cars are being tested and proven right now. They will be available and on the roads in the next 10 years. Trucks won't be far behind.

 

We do have flying cars......Awaiting for FAA to aprove the Vectors for their airborn transitions.

 

I dont think completely driverless trucks of any shape or size will ever really be a thing, unless if they operate on a dedicated road network just for them. Meanwhile, the closest we are likely to come to a "driverless" vehicle would be from the boys at Scania - http://newsroom.scania.com/en-group...-driving-systems-pave-the-way-to-safer-roads/

Edit: spelling.