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Should We Worry About Driverless Trucks?

White said:
I, respectively, disagree. I run linehaul at, perhaps, the most tech happy company. My tractor was in the shop for couple weeks so I’ve been in (same year & model). With cruise only 68(mph). Based on what I have experienced with following distance control, lane deviation, etc, 2050 will be too early for full automation. I’ve previously mentioned the problem of programmers not exceeding the speed limit. My second concern now is, how often will the systems be calibrated? I would expect a sensor pre trip should be required, not likely. Automation is a disaster waiting to happen.
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I think your right, but the problem for us drivers is the closer they get the company’s are going to think they can get away with putting inexperienced drivers behind the wheel. I know there many carriers that do that already, but the ltl companies still put experienced drivers behind the wheel on line haul for the most part anyway.
My point is that as the technology gets better are pay is going to stay the same. The company will not raise wages because if a driver quits they can grab a guy straight out of school. The way the company will see it is the truck pretty much drives it itself.
 
Pulling3 said:
I think your right, but the problem for us drivers is the closer they get the company’s are going to think they can get away with putting inexperienced drivers behind the wheel. I know there many carriers that do that already, but the ltl companies still put experienced drivers behind the wheel on line haul for the most part anyway.
My point is that as the technology gets better are pay is going to stay the same. The company will not raise wages because if a driver quits they can grab a guy straight out of school. The way the company will see it is the truck pretty much drives it itself.
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Valid point. However, I don’t know what driver that could save a real time emergency, would be willing to just sit & watch the truck for 8-10 hours. We drive cuz we like to (partially anyway).
All I can imagine is curb lane grid lock. No one will take the liability of programming a truck to exceed the speed limit. That sets up for ALL trucks in the slow lane, all 4-8 seconds apart, all braking to allow merging. Bumper to bumper @ 46mph from state line to state line 18 hours a day, everyday.
 
Trial Lawyers will have a field day! Computer chip malfunction? Power source? electrical
shortage, et al.... won't be pretty...
 
6PakAbs said:
Trial Lawyers will have a field day! Computer chip malfunction? Power source? electrical
shortage, et al.... won't be pretty...
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That's why the truck manufacturers, technology companies and trucking companies have lobbyists in Washington to pass laws limiting liability in the unfortunate event that one of these things malfunctions and kills someone. There's to much money to made not to have autonomous trucks on the road, of course everyone will say we need them because of safety and driver shortages and that's why the laws will be passed.
 
Turn the Page said:
That's why the truck manufacturers, technology companies and trucking companies have lobbyists in Washington to pass laws limiting liability in the unfortunate event that one of these things malfunctions and kills someone. There's to much money to made not to have autonomous trucks on the road, of course everyone will say we need them because of safety and driver shortages and that's why the laws will be passed.
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That’s the only thing that might keep us in the seat. “Trains have engineers and planes still have pilots” so the public has someone to litigate against. (Someone who isn’t the manufacturer)
 
truckingBORED said:
That’s the only thing that might keep us in the seat. “Trains have engineers and planes still have pilots” so the public has someone to litigate against. (Someone who isn’t the manufacturer)
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For whatever reason they haven't made planes or trains fully autonomous like they want to do for trucks and unless there are laws to keep the driver from liability from a autonomous truck from malfunctioning who would want to drive one
 
Turn the Page said:
For whatever reason they haven't made planes or trains fully autonomous like they want to do for trucks and unless there are laws to keep the driver from liability from a autonomous truck from malfunctioning who would want to drive one
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It’d be minimum wage and completely unbearable, I enjoy the challenges and act of driving. When it becomes a nanny position for baby robots, I’ll seek employment elsewhere.
 
Oh, Hell no. Driverless trucks will never happen. Why, among other things, is DOT and insurance. You've got to have a human driver ready to take over and that human is going to work according to Hours of Service regulations. Where's the savings? Also, these "wonder" trucks will not be operating on a closed course but out in the stupid driving world. The costs of any kind of truck accident starts at 6 figures and rapidly escalates from there. Who is going to insure one moving time bomb much less a fleet?
 
Dracula said:
Oh, Hell no. Driverless trucks will never happen. Why, among other things, is DOT and insurance. You've got to have a human driver ready to take over and that human is going to work according to Hours of Service regulations. Where's the savings? Also, these "wonder" trucks will not be operating on a closed course but out in the stupid driving world. The costs of any kind of truck accident starts at 6 figures and rapidly escalates from there. Who is going to insure one moving time bomb much less a fleet?
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Like I said before, there are lobbyists right now pushing for friendly laws regarding the limits on cost of a catastrophic incident involving autonomous trucks. There is hundreds of millions if not billions in savings when they put these things on the streets. Money talks but the reason laws will be passed is because we will be told they are safer, no distractions, fatigue or being under the influence of something. I don't know when this will happen but it will
 
Dracula said:
Oh, Hell no. Driverless trucks will never happen. Why, among other things, is DOT and insurance. You've got to have a human driver ready to take over and that human is going to work according to Hours of Service regulations. Where's the savings? Also, these "wonder" trucks will not be operating on a closed course but out in the stupid driving world. The costs of any kind of truck accident starts at 6 figures and rapidly escalates from there. Who is going to insure one moving time bomb much less a fleet?
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I think there will always be someone in the drivers seat if for nothing more the company can ask the driver why they didn’t take control before the accident. The wages will be going stagnant as the technology advances. The role the driver will have in driving the truck will be an observation role and maybe drive from off ramp to destination.

That’s just my assumption I hope I’m wrong I actually enjoy driving. Less now then in the past. There is to much technology in the trucks now in my opinion
 
Pulling3 said:
I think there will always be someone in the drivers seat if for nothing more the company can ask the driver why they didn’t take control before the accident. The wages will be going stagnant as the technology advances. The role the driver will have in driving the truck will be an observation role and maybe drive from off ramp to destination.

That’s just my assumption I hope I’m wrong I actually enjoy driving. Less now then in the past. There is to much technology in the trucks now in my opinion
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I agree with everything you say but companies aren't going to buy autonomous trucks if they still need a full time driver in them, what would be the point if you're not going to save a lot of money by removing the driver.
 
Turn the Page said:
I agree with everything you say but companies aren't going to buy autonomous trucks if they still need a full time driver in them, what would be the point if you're not going to save a lot of money by removing the driver.
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The savings would be in the LTL sector. Linehaul drivers making $80,000 and up would be replaced with a guy making $50,000 to sit behind a wheel and look out a window. Some truck load companies what pay a decent wage now would benefit from autonomous trucks and pay the new drivers like Swift and CR England.
Local drivers will be safe. Maybe even Flatbed drivers. You can’t just get anybody that has knowledge of load securement.
 
Pulling3 said:
The savings would be in the LTL sector. Linehaul drivers making $80,000 and up would be replaced with a guy making $50,000 to sit behind a wheel and look out a window. Some truck load companies what pay a decent wage now would benefit from autonomous trucks and pay the new drivers like Swift and CR England.
Local drivers will be safe. Maybe even Flatbed drivers. You can’t just get anybody that has knowledge of load securement.
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I agree that there will be some need for drivers when autonomous trucks hit the roads but it's not going to be like before, pay will go down as will the job itself. They will not be a good thing for us drivers
 
Pulling3 said:
The savings would be in the LTL sector. Linehaul drivers making $80,000 and up would be replaced with a guy making $50,000 to sit behind a wheel and look out a window. Some truck load companies what pay a decent wage now would benefit from autonomous trucks and pay the new drivers like Swift and CR England.
Local drivers will be safe. Maybe even Flatbed drivers. You can’t just get anybody that has knowledge of load securement.
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How much is the company liability insurance going to go up?
 
The way those people thank it might go down. You have to remember everyone believes the driver is the problem causing all the accidents. If anything good comes out of autonomous trucks maybe it will show it’s not always the drivers fault.
 
Pulling3 said:
The way those people thank it might go down. You have to remember everyone believes the driver is the problem causing all the accidents. If anything good comes out of autonomous trucks maybe it will show it’s not always the drivers fault.
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After a Truck Accident Do I Sue the Driver or the Trucking Company?

After a truck accident, how do you determine if the driver or the trucking company is at fault? Speak with a NY car accident attorney at Douglas & London today.
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The insurance companies know that anyone, who is injured by a truck, will be going after the companies deep insurance pockets. Liability insurance never goes down.
 
Here's a couple of videos that shows where we are in autonomous trucks, and they are a year old they've made progress since then
 
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I’ve also been attempting to bring awareness to this for years on the FedEx Freight Forums.

Sometimes it’s best just to read it straight from the source.

Here is a link from the US DOT on the current plan. I’d encourage anyone who doubts what we’ve been telling them to give it a read. Our days are numbered.

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2020-02/EnsuringAmericanLeadershipAVTech4.pdf

>>>note, this is the 4th edition, they are all worth a read...
 
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