Unoccupied driverless trucks coming to Texas by 2025, companies say

[jswordy]

The cost of updating all roads, or even a representative sample, to meet the needs of self-driving cars is astronomical, and that's just installation. After that, maintenance is not cheap either, and it never ends. Then new technology is developed and eventually all roads are not equal, and older roads need updating ...

Taxes towards road construction and maintenance would need to increase by a lot. Plus as Brian said and you agreed, humans are better adapted to handling bizarre situations.

That's my point. It has never been a feasible technology. But a video is worth a thousand words sometimes.

 

[Boatboy24]

That's my point. It has never been a feasible technology. But a video is worth a thousand words sometimes.

That video doesn't tell me who or what was driving, nor did the article linked to in the video's description. I need more words than the video is worth.

"It is not known if Autopilot was engaged at the time of the accident, but according to local media reports, “the auxiliary system was turned on at the time, and the self-driving state was not adopted” (Google translation)."

 

[jswordy]

That video doesn't tell me who or what was driving, nor did the article linked to in the video's description. I need more words than the video is worth.

"It is not known if Autopilot was engaged at the time of the accident, but according to local media reports, “the auxiliary system was turned on at the time, and the self-driving state was not adopted” (Google translation)."

Well, Jim, just look to see how many other cars hit the truck after braking once, briefly. And never trying to swerve.

 

[Boatboy24]

Well, Jim, just look to see how many other cars hit the truck after braking once, briefly. And never trying to swerve.

None. But that doesn't tell me much.

Was the Tesla driving itself?

 

[ChuckD]

I would think installing embedded sensors in the interstate system and major trucking routes would be economically feasible. Driverless trucks hauling goods between hubs then having human drivers navigate the local roads seems like a good use of the technology.

 

[winemaker81]

Looking at the Tesla video, a human will see the obstruction way in advance and will see other vehicles going around it. The sensors on a car may not be sufficiently long ranged to safely stop. Now apply that to an 80,000 lb load -- no one wants to be in the way of that. A 4,000 lb vehicle is 5% of the truck+load weight -- it goes through a heavy auto like it's not there.

I would think installing embedded sensors in the interstate system and major trucking routes would be economically feasible. Driverless trucks hauling goods between hubs then having human drivers navigate the local roads seems like a good use of the technology.

There is almost 50,000 miles of Interstate highways in the USA. Installing a sensor system would take years, possibly decades, and as mentioned above, by the time it was complete the first segments would require updating. Then there's construction -- interstates are heavily used and under repair constantly. Segments would get interrupted and human error would certainly cause problems.

That's technical stuff. Let's consider logistics.

If the truck stops for any reason (e.g., missing or damaged sensor segment), the company has to get a driver to that location, requiring 2 people (someone has to drive the driver). Lost time and increased expense.

To start a drive, a driver must drive the truck to the interstate, and must be followed by a second vehicle + its driver to take him back. At the other end the process is reversed, again requiring a second vehicle and 2 people. Depending on distance from the origin to the Interstate, and the Interstate to the destination, the personnel cost may be greater than just paying a driver.

Building distribution hubs near the Interstates is a good idea, but there are tens of thousands of trucking companies in the USA that do long distance hauling. Getting them to cooperate and add on the expense of using someone else's hub to cut out drivers? That's a hard "no". Getting the government to mandate anything won't happen -- the trucking industry has a LOT of political pull at the states and Federal level, so passing legislation they opposed will not happen easily, if at all.

The trucks needs refueling, which will require a driver. This can be scheduled, but requires planning. Can fuel stations be built specifically for this? Sure ... but the land in necessary locations may not be available or expensive, pushing up costs.

If there is an accident and the truck is re-routed? Again, it requires a driver, and the lost of time and cost of manpower to get a driver to the truck is a problem.

Self-driving trucks on a local scale may make sense in some areas, but it's still a complex problem. Doing it on large scale is a logistical nightmare.

 

[winemaker81]

Unless they are on their phones not paying attention to the road.........

 

[ChuckD]

Looking at the Tesla video, a human will see the obstruction way in advance and will see other vehicles going around it. The sensors on a car may not be sufficiently long ranged to safely stop. Now apply that to an 80,000 lb load -- no one wants to be in the way of that. A 4,000 lb vehicle is 5% of the truck+load weight -- it goes through a heavy auto like it's not there.


There is almost 50,000 miles of Interstate highways in the USA. Installing a sensor system would take years, possibly decades, and as mentioned above, by the time it was complete the first segments would require updating. Then there's construction -- interstates are heavily used and under repair constantly. Segments would get interrupted and human error would certainly cause problems.

That's technical stuff. Let's consider logistics.

If the truck stops for any reason (e.g., missing or damaged sensor segment), the company has to get a driver to that location, requiring 2 people (someone has to drive the driver). Lost time and increased expense.

To start a drive, a driver must drive the truck to the interstate, and must be followed by a second vehicle + its driver to take him back. At the other end the process is reversed, again requiring a second vehicle and 2 people. Depending on distance from the origin to the Interstate, and the Interstate to the destination, the personnel cost may be greater than just paying a driver.

Building distribution hubs near the Interstates is a good idea, but there are tens of thousands of trucking companies in the USA that do long distance hauling. Getting them to cooperate and add on the expense of using someone else's hub to cut out drivers? That's a hard "no". Getting the government to mandate anything won't happen -- the trucking industry has a LOT of political pull at the states and Federal level, so passing legislation they opposed will not happen easily, if at all.

The trucks needs refueling, which will require a driver. This can be scheduled, but requires planning. Can fuel stations be built specifically for this? Sure ... but the land in necessary locations may not be available or expensive, pushing up costs.

If there is an accident and the truck is re-routed? Again, it requires a driver, and the lost of time and cost of manpower to get a driver to the truck is a problem.

Self-driving trucks on a local scale may make sense in some areas, but it's still a complex problem. Doing it on large scale is a logistical nightmare.

Ok… trains it is!

 

[sour_grapes]

Ok… trains it is!

That was a fantastic redirection. Right you are!

 

[jswordy]

BTW, Ron White has unretired himself to make big casino bux in Vegas.

 

[jswordy]

and

https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-electronic-highway-of-1969
I completely agree about high speed public transit, like Europe or Japan have. That is the direction we really should be going, IMO. In many cases, it would relieve individuals of ever having to own a car, saving them substantial money over a lifetime. And if we REALLY want to address climate change, superfast trains are the way to do it. EVs just perpetuate the one person, one car mantra, and in most cases are actually SECOND cars. So at best, they kick the climate can down the road.