Posted on 11/06/2016 10:56:10 AM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Prematurely accelerating the implementation of fully autonomous trucking (no driver in the cab) seems like an idea that could be fraught with risk. While driverless long-haul trucks have the potential to increase economic productivity by enabling more cost-effective transport of goods, the technology is not yet ready for prime time. There is growing pressure, however, to make it a reality sooner rather than later – particularly as long-distance trucking faces a worsening driver shortage.
At the same time, highway infrastructure in many parts of the country is clearly inadequate even for today’s traffic, let alone a mixed bag of driven and driverless cars and trucks. The safety of autonomous vehicle technology – particularly when it comes to 18-wheelers – will be a question mark for some time to come.
What autonomous trucking needs now is a carefully crafted path to implementation. We believe that separated highway toll lanes could not only mitigate perceived risks, but provide a solution to a convergence of public and private needs.
Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Although partially autonomous trucks (with a driver still behind the wheel) could be rolling quite soon, these won’t solve the core dilemma for the trucking industry – a shortage of long-haul truck drivers in developed markets that is projected to steadily worsen. Fully autonomous trucks could quite soon be able to take over the highway portion of movements, while drivers on either end handle local, last-mile responsibilities, such as getting trucks to and from distribution centers and warehouses, navigating suburban and city streets brimming with hazards, and participating in loading/unloading operations. Such a system would end the quality-of-life issues that cause so many to avoid long-haul trucking as a career choice: long stretches of time away from home and on the road.
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
Full title:
Going Full Throttle On Autonomous Trucking: Toll Lanes Could Get Driverless Trucks On Highways Faster
We already have a variation of that. It's called railroads. No additional paving required.
What could possibly go wrong?
[particularly as long-distance trucking faces a worsening driver shortage]
Why don’t they have regional drivers take shifts instead of having one person drive long distances?
That sounds like a recipe for chaos and disaster on the highway on so many levels...
What is the range of a truck? How do they fill up? This could put many truck stops out of business.
Here in redneck country there are quite a few long haul truckers, including some of my own family members and a couple of my neighbors-they drive a rig and the rest of the family runs the small ranch or other business while they are on the road-the problem is not any quality of life BS, but the fact that ever-increasing regulations and other rising costs of trucking that make for fewer jobs for drivers-it is getting that way for those who only haul local cartage, too...
What are humans going to do, when every job has been shipped out of the country, or they have been replaced by electronic means.
De we go back to caves and rubbing sticks together for fire?
This move to take humans out of the equation is ultimately nothing but pure evil.
Who will buy the goods being delivered by these driverless trucks, when no humans have an income?
Who is going to put tire chains on the big rigs when they hit high mountain passes in heavy snow and ice and snow packed roads?
i.e unwilling to raise pay.
Stupidity on parade, proudly waving its banner of idiocy for all to see.
Unwilling and unable to pay drivers more, or hire more drivers-especially the small to medium trucking operations-they are subject to the same regulations/restrictions as the bigtime companies employing 40-50+ drivers-a tag for each state you drive in, employee benefits-like Obamacare-ridiculous environazi EPA s***, blah, blah, blah...
The only way to make a decent living with trucking right now is to stay an independent contractor, or a business that employs very few people-preferably relatives and friends-smaller is better, at least for now...
There are already lanes for driverless freight trucks. They are called TOFC. Although containers are more common these days.
You beat me to it.
Let them drive at night when traffic is less and they don’t have to stop for driver sleep cycles.
Problem with overnight runs is many big cities do on the fly construction work. Driverless vehicles especially trucks would need to interpret this..
Let 'em start with TRAINS; first.
At least those will not be on the same pathway that I drive on!
There would be no shortage of long haul drivers if the pay was right.
Not our fault they pay less now than they did in the 80s.
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