Several Truck Companies Plan to Completely Eliminate the Use of Human Drivers This Year

[Burgermeister]

I was reminded of you at Walmart the other day where the parking lanes are drawn at 45 degrees downhill against one-way driving lanes. This makes front-in parking even safer. But black drivers still make 135 degree backward turns in order to back in against the one-way. This requires another 135 degree turn at exit.

It's weird how so many people insist on backing in everywhere. It started happening with the advent of decent backup cameras.

 

[hadit]

Geezus.....I don't know if I care too much for the idea.

I agree, airplanes today can take off, fly a route, and land by themselves, but we still require pilots to be in the cockpit. "Driverless" trucks need to have a driver onboard to take over if something happens, because "something" always does. I think totally driverless vehicles should only be on roads or separate lanes totally dedicated to driverless vehicles, or "drive at your own risk". Granted that, when conditions are optimal and everything works as designed, computers and sensors can identify problems and take action faster than humans, but they can go wrong too. Then, of course, there's always the specter of someone taking remote control of a heavily loaded truck and wreaking havoc with it.

 

[Moonglow]

What will the Prostitutes at the Truck Stops do for a living?

Become robotic

 

[justoffal]

I agree, airplanes today can take off, fly a route, and land by themselves, but we still require pilots to be in the cockpit. "Driverless" trucks need to have a driver onboard to take over if something happens, because "something" always does. I think totally driverless vehicles should only be on roads or separate lanes totally dedicated to driverless vehicles, or "drive at your own risk". Granted that, when conditions are optimal and everything works as designed, computers and sensors can identify problems and take action faster than humans, but they can go wrong too. Then, of course, there's always the specter of someone taking remote control of a heavily loaded truck and wreaking havoc with it.

Snow storm

 

[justoffal]

Become robotic

Japan already has those

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

It's weird how so many people insist on backing in everywhere. It started happening with the advent of decent backup cameras.

Doesn’t make the maneuver any simpler. Still goes against design.

 

[AZrailwhale]

It's weird how so many people insist on backing in everywhere. It started happening with the advent of decent backup cameras.

I worked for the phone company, we were always taught to back into any parking place that wasn't a "pull thru" because it was safer to pull forward out of a parking place than back out of one.,

 

[AZrailwhale]

I agree, airplanes today can take off, fly a route, and land by themselves, but we still require pilots to be in the cockpit. "Driverless" trucks need to have a driver onboard to take over if something happens, because "something" always does. I think totally driverless vehicles should only be on roads or separate lanes totally dedicated to driverless vehicles, or "drive at your own risk". Granted that, when conditions are optimal and everything works as designed, computers and sensors can identify problems and take action faster than humans, but they can go wrong too. Then, of course, there's always the specter of someone taking remote control of a heavily loaded truck and wreaking havoc with it.

I read a SF book way back in the sixties in which all highway traffic was controlled by the road computers (I believe). The accidents were so horrific that the Highway Patrol vehicles were a combination of emergency room, cop car and wrecker and carried a surgeon plus a patrolman and a sergeant.

 

[petro]

With the amount of recalls and software issues of literally every manufacturer of vehicles, this is a very bad and stupid idea.

Even rain screws with a vehicles sensors, sometimes rendering them useless. Those of us in snow country already know this.

 

[RoshawnMarkwees]

I worked for the phone company, we were always taught to back into any parking place that wasn't a "pull thru" because it was safer to pull forward out of a parking place than back out of one.,

Even though the risk of backing in is greater than backing out.

 

[Burgermeister]

 

[TheParser]

Unless you are one of the close to 4 million people that will be out of a career.

Modern technology is wonderful -- except it does cause many people to lose their livelihoods.

Look at what the Internet has done to print newspapers.

This country has to rethink its educational system. Most high school graduates should not be directed toward the university. Most should be directed toward so-called trade schools, where they can learn to do the jobs that are actually available (such as maintaining those driverless trucks, taxis, etc.).

 

[d0gbreath]

Modern technology is wonderful -- except it does cause many people to lose their livelihoods.

Look at what the Internet has done to print newspapers.

This country has to rethink its educational system. Most high school graduates should not be directed toward the university. Most should be directed toward so-called trade schools, where they can learn to do the jobs that are actually available (such as maintaining those driverless trucks, taxis, etc.).

It's funny how a college degree would make you the supervisor over all of those people.

 

[hadit]

It's funny how a college degree would make you the supervisor over all of those people.

It might open the door for you to become a supervisor, but it would very quickly become apparent if you were capable of remaining the supervisor or not.

 

[d0gbreath]

It might open the door for you to become a supervisor, but it would very quickly become apparent if you were capable of remaining the supervisor or not.

If you couldn't handle it, they'd hire another college graduate off of the street. Reaching down into the group that knows how to do it, is only used to train the new college grad hire. I've been trained by people that hated my guts because they thought that they should've been promoted into the position that I was hired to fill.

It's not dependent upon your degree field. The fact that you persevered and graduated is what their looking for.

 

[hadit]

If you couldn't handle it, they'd hire another college graduate off of the street. Reaching down into the group that knows how to do it, is only used to train the new college grad hire. I've been trained by people that hated my guts because they thought that they should've been promoted into the position that I was hired to fill.

Any graduate off the street that thinks he knows the job better than the veterans who have been there for decades had better figure it out fast.

 

[d0gbreath]

Any graduate off the street that thinks he knows the job better than the veterans who have been there for decades had better figure it out fast.

No one thinks that. There's always a learning curve.

 

[hadit]

No one thinks that. There's always a learning curve.

I've run into a manager hired straight out of college who didn't last long. His first order of business was to set up standing meetings to get daily project statuses at 4:30 pm, no problem, but then again at 9:00 am, at which point the answer was, what we told you yesterday, now let us get to work. There are always some who think that they have it mastered because they have the degree and need a reality check.

 

[Captain Caveman]

What will the Prostitutes at the Truck Stops do for a living?

Probably go back to the Democrat rallies

 

[Captain Caveman]

(Natural News)—Three startup firms have announced plans to eliminate all human drivers and replace them with driverless trucks traversing through Texas highways by the end of 2024. The move comes amid objections from critics who warn that financial pressures, not safety, are behind the proposed timetable.

They are allowed to just deploy on public roads?

Driverless trucks lack regulation, transparency and comprehensive data collection
Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, explained that they are worried about the lack of regulation, transparency and comprehensive data collection.

Critics have also warned that trucks pose severe dangers because they often travel at highway speeds and weigh as much as 80,000 pounds. This is more than 15 times as much as General Motors’ controversial Cruise driverless robotaxi.

This is a problem. We pay for those roads and we should get to decide if driverless anything should be allowed on them. Especially trucks on a highway. Shame on Texas for allowing this. Abbott signed a bill in 2017 allowing it. Never trusted Abbott. Feels like kickbacks of some sort are in play because this defies common sense.

More info here. Literally no human on board, but don't worry, "Command centers in Lancaster and Mountain View, California, keep an eye on the trucks and can take over the driving functions remotely if needed."

Comforting, eh?

Ain't gonna happen. They can't get cars to do that, too dangerous and a truck has much more tonnage destruction behind it.

Then there's the regs and laws to get through etc.. So by the end of 2024? Hmm.

I thought pizzas were gonna be delivered by drones, but (excuse the pun), that didn't take off either, and all that was supposed to happen by 2023.