Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao spoke on Sunday about the need to educate the public about the benefits of automated driving technology. This signals that the Trump administration may be interested in advancing self-driving technology and removing regulations put in place last year.
Speaking to the National Governor’s Association, Secretary Chao told the audience that she would be reviewing the self-driving vehicle guidelines put in place by the Obama administration in September.
The guidelines called on automakers and autonomous technology companies to adhere to a voluntary 15-point safety assessment. According to a DOT statement issued when they were published, the goal of the guidelines was to “ensure public safety while establishing a strong foundation such that the rules of the road can be known, understood, and responded to by industry and the public.”
Almost immediately after they were published however, autonomous vehicle companies issued numerous complaints about the guidelines, including that they might prove to be too restrictive, delay testing, and require them to share data.
Those concerns seem to have found a receptive ear. Chao stated in her speech that the Trump administration will seek to make sure that the guidelines would be “a catalyst for safe, efficient technologies, not an impediment.”
Citing 35,092 traffic crash deaths in 2015, Chao highlighted the importance of automated driving, saying that “there’s a lot at stake in getting this technology right.”
She even called on “Silicon Valley, Detroit, and all other auto industry hubs” to make it their goal to “help educate a skeptical public about the benefits of automated technology.”
Some trucker groups have expressed concern over what will happen to the millions of people currently employed as professional truck drivers if trucks become autonomous. Addressing that, Chao did say she was “very concerned” about the impact that automated technology might have on workers. Ultimately though, she said that “we do have to transition people.”
Yeah, ultimately transition professional truckers and their families into Homelessness and into dwellers of the streets and gutters.
While these inventors of the technology grow super rich.
Well, that’s very a sensational comment, but there’s little thought content in it. While you’ve been feeling sorry for yourself, you apparently didn’t consider the fact that there are going to be a lot of local drivers needed for the actual loading and unloading. Or the fact that computer trucks will be able to run 24/7 and deliver more loads than the current driver shortage allows to be delivered right now. With more loads being pulled by computers than currently being hauled, they’ll need more local drivers, (at least until technology can do that too). IF you actually are a driver, you will be aware that there are thousands and thousands of shippers and receivers that will never we able to be automated. So either the “new” system will force them to upgrade to auto-docking, or local drivers will always be needed, or the companies will be forced out of business. Either way, companies right now have to pay for a truck and driver that can only run for 11 to 13 hours a day. Why is it a surprise that they wouldn’t jump at the chance to JUST pay for a truck that can run 24 hours a day?
The gov’t isn’t there, especially in the US, to look after people, they are there to look after the interests of corporations that contribute huge money to their political campaigns. YOU, and everyone like you, are only around until you aren’t worth the effort or the money they can grind out of you. If your net value to them isn’t higher than 0, you’re worthless.
Most of the people railing against things like truck automation have their heads buried in a dream world where they argue about democrats and republicans like barking, yapping dogs. You’re barking at and about a puppet show. IF you managed to educate yourselves and start focusing on the people that run the politicians, so would see things like this coming for decades and you would be prepared. AS truckers, we are 100% expendable, and always have been. Small minds and huge egos have apparently made lots of people oblivious to that reality.
Yeah, what he said!
My town has seen local Industry leave !
Therefore, I stopped being an Industrial mech in order to stay living in My Home location.
Most “Local” drivers are Not Local !
Maybe when you get more age and wisdom on you, you may see where progress isn’t always going foward and not the best thing for America
remember, you voted for this to happen. You wanted Dumpy in office.
It wouldn’t have mattered who got voted in. Our leaders can’t stop this, no matter how hard they try. Technology is inevitable. Those who don’t evolve, perish.
Transition is the code word for you won’t have a job.
Just another example of someone in government not giving a damn about people and their career. This technology will cut driver jobs and pay, how is that good for anyone?
For the million+ people who would have died in an auto accident in any given year, I suspect it will be very good.
Very simple people, learn to do something else to make a living. Stop whining!
Everytime they find a way to eliminate people by automation and technology, we are told we need to go back to school to learn a new trade and/or skill. Then the same thing happens again. But, in addition to that, they want to bring foreign nationals into our country on a visa program, force us to train them what we do for a living, then fire us. Michael Eisner did it at Disney. So, the middle class will gradually go away.
LOL this coming from a former Walmart greeter! priceless!
Spoken like a true simpleton.
We’ll see what tune you’ll be singing when you have to go home and tell the family you lost your job.
Driverless cars are a lost cause, so now lets try to get into the federally regulated transportation market. This is by far one of the most absurd ideas to come out of silicon valley yet. I guess even smart people are stupid on some level. Who is going to insure a driverless truck? let alone entrust this vehicle with hundreds of thousands of dollars in cargo? With the world we live in when servers that are suppose to be un-hackable are being hacked how long do these people think it will take for someone to hack into this and cause absolute mayhem? Stick to gps and candy crush app development and get out of the transportation industry.
Ummmm you guys still Gun ho for Trump???
Seems his real side is coming out and so in reality he really doesn’t care about Truckers and their families and the public either!!!
But Noooooo we all got fooled and so looks like we will all pay the price and be thrown out into the streets around the country.
How’s that Make America Great Again working out for ya?!?!?!
Just think now we will all have a battery wall built around each and every Truckers homes to keep OUT of society.
Again if you work for any mega carrier you only have yourselves to blame because they will invest in this technology and divest you from the company!
I’ve yet to have a gps that didn’t crap out and literally get lost. How many times have you seen the truck icon running along the freeway out where there isn’t a road? Why is that truck in that corn field?
automation has been going on for yrs.big stores closing @sears,macy,jc penny Gregg for on line orders.make a phone call and push this button and that button.@carrier and the tax breaks given by trump and they said most of it will be used for automation.and drivers see most of this day in and day out.coal miners to go back to work.not.cheaper to use natural gas which most plants use.this is not going to stop until most of us are out of a job.reason,big money.
you drivers be safe out there for that driverless vehicle can be hacked and kill you.
For winter driving, we might as well use the robot ideal for your chaining needs for you. Gotta keep that freight moving in areas requiring maximum chains.
So now for a limited time, you can buy our accessory kit complete with a chaining robot. Your truck will be chained in 30 minutes or less or your money back.
Ya know, if it does go to darn near 100% automation, I would say just refund drivers for truck driving school in full for lying to them that they would have an ongoing career if they paid thousands of dollars. Or for those that have their CDL’s, they become a field tech and handle the basic programming needs of the trucks while delivering the loads locally to market. So you would be talking paying a tech/CDL holder a high salary to start and NOT $10.00/hr.
But as I stated on another post, there are just too many manual tasks and you can only automate so much. Thanks everyone for taking the fun out of traveling and putting others out of work indirectly affected. Don’t need truck stop restaurants anymore or eateries per se. I can see a loss of business for others indirectly.
it’s not really that hard for computer to chain the tires. There is already a system that refills air if tires needed and you don’t even have to check tires no more. Everything that you guys saying computer won’t do it’s doing it.
I just don’t think it will work who is going to pump the fuel do the pre-trips and post-trips is the computer going to have to take a 30 min break and 10 hour break who is going to talk to the shipper and receiver open the doors call for break downs think of all the things we do as truck drivers do you think a computer can do that I don’t
One of us has got to pump the fuel and clean the windshields on the thing when it pulls up right? So just wear a warm jump suit and a comfortable pair of shoes and keep your squeegee close…lmao!
Instead of removing the driver, devolpe it to assist the driver like the auto pilot system for aircrafts.
I’ll retire and run my truck from home this technology sounds great can’t wait
Technology is a good thing, but in the wrong hands can and will be disasterous…It isn’t a question of if, but when someone hacks those computers, and causes chaos on the interstates….Then they can count the number of dead bodies…They won’t be able to blame the truckers!!!
AS CHOA SAID TRANSITION PEOPLE@ ELIMINATE THEM.SHE IS RICH SO NO SWEAT FOR HER.
Ohhh but nooo… Trump’s gonna do this for America and Trump’s gonna make America great again blah, blah, blah. First of all he put that brawd in that position right? And she dont know Jack Sh-t about this industry! And second, yall be careful of what you wish for because it seems to be a whole lotta strings attached and a bunch of the Okee Doke in full effect going on with these unqualified people he’s put in place. And thirdly, America is already Great! But i guess I’ll go get my forklift certification just in case they need somebody to load these damn fully automated trucks OUR GOVERNMENT seems to be green lighting. Hey, I’m just saying!
Trucks will always have to have a driver in the seat. There are too many variables that demand someone always be ready to take control. That will never change. Personally, I’d rather be in total control as electronics are always failing. There’s also a matter of price point, the trucking industry doesn’t stand to increase its profits with high priced trucks that still need a driver on board. Where’s the incentive? Liabilities will go through the roof….who will take blame when one if these autonomous rigs kills?
What a load of crap, no pun intended. They want to save American jobs, but in the name of technology and the almighty dollar, they want to put over a million drivers out of work?!?
That’s what happens when a damn Asian is put in a position of power over a large workforce.
Bring the technology on. I have been a truck driver for 30 years as of July 2017. Working on my fourth million. I listen to the old timers and now I am a old-timer. I would just love to be used by Mrs. CHOA, AS a consultant , securing my retirement. We all know that the drivers being produced today are not of the quality that they need to be, 4 WHEELERS INCLUDED. SO, the autonomous-driving vehicles are going to be WELCOMED. Please feel free to contact me in regards to monthly certification for ongoing training on how to drive a car. 540 529 7336.
I was an air traffic controller for 22 years and we saw the same thing when Elizabeth Dole was selected as Sec Transportation. She is a nice enough person but freaking clueless about the job. For those who are saying learn to do something else, I DID, and driving is it. Why, because my job as a controller was contracted out and I had to “retire” before I was ready to. I’ve driven trucks with collision avoidance equipment on it. Stupid thing would alarm when I went under a freeway sign or overpass.
Trucking technology is bound to change. Drivers (pilots) will still be needed. We no longer need blacksmiths, or ice deliverymen. There is nothing wrong with technology.