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FedEx Freight | Fedex tests autonomous trucks

I think the whole idea of autonomous trucks is a pipe dream. That being said it reminds me of story I heard long ago.

UAW President Walter Ruether and Henry Ford II were walking through a new plant with robots.

Henry says “ How are you going to collect Union dues from these robots?”

Walter responds with “ I’m more concerned how you’re going to sell them new Fords”
 
It’s just government grant money being spent and a pat on the back for FedEx to be in the news again. States have to Ok for them to be used on there highway in all 50 states for this to be implemented. Just like going from 48 foot trailers to 53. They were only aloud in some states and the backroads were forbidden. Can’t imagine a robot truck on a rural route then breaks down with no shoulder to limp to.
 
Streaker69 said:
Not going to happen.

First of all, way too many cooks in that kitchen.

Second, there's a shortage of chips and they're not going to be caught up for a long time.

Third, there is no evidence that says there's software that can handle traffic, unpredictable drivers and bad weather.

Lastly, the publication is called market watch and this part is important



Pump and dump. FedEx (and other companies) were willing to take the gamble and give it a shot. Not the first time, not the last time.

Lastly, how long would it take for FedEx to replace their entire fleet? How long would it take to get the techs up to par on this technology? Decades and that's if everything goes right.


You should get ahead of this and quit today.
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Hate to tell you this, but I saw 2 hour long documentaries on “driverless” trucks and that was 3 years ago. 4 people rode in rear seats while a lady driver sat in driver seat. She never touched steering wheel, gas, breaks, or gear shift. The truck operated perfectly in traffic on interstate because it reacted 10 times quicker than a human could ( even when a driver swerved in front of the rig). No emotion, no alcohol, no high blood pressure, just computers. Drove 125 miles to terminal perfectly.
 
Volnuck1 said:
Hate to tell you this, but I saw 2 hour long documentaries on “driverless” trucks and that was 3 years ago. 4 people rode in rear seats while a lady driver sat in driver seat. She never touched steering wheel, gas, breaks, or gear shift. The truck operated perfectly in traffic on interstate because it reacted 10 times quicker than a human could ( even when a driver swerved in front of the rig). No emotion, no alcohol, no high blood pressure, just computers. Drove 125 miles to terminal perfectly.
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They can’t even get the handhelds or ELD to work 100% of the time.
 
Volnuck1 said:
Hate to tell you this, but I saw 2 hour long documentaries on “driverless” trucks and that was 3 years ago. 4 people rode in rear seats while a lady driver sat in driver seat. She never touched steering wheel, gas, breaks, or gear shift. The truck operated perfectly in traffic on interstate because it reacted 10 times quicker than a human could ( even when a driver swerved in front of the rig). No emotion, no alcohol, no high blood pressure, just computers. Drove 125 miles to terminal perfectly.
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If they had them 3 years ago, where are they? Why aren't these trucks in every companies yard? In fact, no company has them or is using them. Why is that? Why is it still considered breakthrough technology if it's that old?

Documentaries mean nothing. They're a tool used to put out information, but they're still subject to biases and dramatics the way a written article is. I can't speak too much on it because I don't know anything about the film, but I can say with certainty that if this technology was solid three years ago, it'd be a lot more prevalent today.
 
You guys remember the supervisorbots from a couple years ago?
Day one they had them trained in a loop to say
Bills per hour
Stops per hour
Gate times
Blame others
If you don’t like it quit

Initial tests looked promising. They also learned how to stare at computer screens and how fantasy football works

Alas, the final test came. The two finger Copenhagen dip test. No matter how many times they tried the robot didn’t have the dexterity to pull it off. They even tried long cut and nothing worked and the whole program had to be scrapped.
 
Volnuck1 said:
Hate to tell you this, but I saw 2 hour long documentaries on “driverless” trucks and that was 3 years ago. 4 people rode in rear seats while a lady driver sat in driver seat. She never touched steering wheel, gas, breaks, or gear shift. The truck operated perfectly in traffic on interstate because it reacted 10 times quicker than a human could ( even when a driver swerved in front of the rig). No emotion, no alcohol, no high blood pressure, just computers. Drove 125 miles to terminal perfectly.
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Hate to tell you but there are 2 different companies testing this technology on cars in Pittsburgh. 1 ran over a lady in a crosswalk and killed her and the other has had several major collisions. The city will make them pause testing for a couple months and then their back at it. 125 miles down the highway is nothing like city driving.
 
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