Walmart going full driverless

They told us this would not happen. But here it is. And a lot sooner than I imagined.
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Walmart is taking the next step with their autonomous truck program. No safety driver. No observer in the passenger seat. They’re going fully driverless.

Walmart has partnered with autonomous startup Gatik for a pilot program to test out driverless trucks. They ran box trucks on a short route between a fulfillment center and a store in Bentonville, Arkansas. Over the past year and a half of the pilot, the vehicles have logged 70,000 miles driving the same two-mile stretch of road back and forth.

According to Gatik’s CEO, they deliberately restricted their pilot program to a small area.

“It’s an approach we refer to as structured autonomy,” Gautam Narang, the CEO of Gatik said according to Engadget. “It’s safe and efficient because it enables us to constrain the challenge of autonomy, thereby heavily over-optimizing our delivery routes and minimizing edge-cases.”

So up until now, the trucks have been driving on incredibly familiar roads, with a safety driver behind the wheel. But starting in the new year all of that will change.

First, that two-mile stretch of road in Bentonville will be travelled by fully autonomous vehicles with no humans aboard. Second, the program will be expanding to Louisiana in order to drive a 20-mile route between Metairie, Louisiana and a Walmart Supercenter in New Orleans. Initially, the new route will have safety drivers.

“This achievement marks a new milestone that signifies the first ever driverless operation carried out on the supply chain middle mile for both Gatik and Walmart,” said a Walmart executive in a statement.

 

You should have read more. That is just the beginning. Next there is a 20 mile stretch they will be testing. It will snowball eventually. Robotics are a way of life and don't sue, call in sick or hopefully wreck trucks.

 

Twice I had a 2019 FL try to park the truck with forward collision. Once on the long exit ramp going to the rest area on 75 south headed to Atlanta. I was going straight, but it thought I had missed the road. Second time was in Indy going off a ramp. I was in a tight turn and it "saw" a construction barrel and almost stopped me. It will get worse before it gets better.

 

Unless you have terminal cancer you are mistaken. If these things make it 20 miles for 6 months without a problem they are going to keep pushing this. Look how many accidents we have right now WITH drivers. They are going to figure it can't be any worse. If anything keeping the speed down will minimize damages. And computers dont get road rage, fall asleep or get distracted.