Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
thin skin can't win |
Better than that idiot that plowed over a car full of people a few months ago? You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02 | |||
|
| Big Stack |
That was a long time and a lot of lost union clout ago. And they still did it back then.
| |||
|
| Big Stack |
Designated ramps definitely. Undesignated shoulders, maybe. But also, the computer will be constantly and simultaneously monitoring a lot more technical parameters than a human driver could, and much more frequently. Think things like brake temperature, air brake pressure, tire pressure, and others I don't know. It can likely detect a problem before a human driver, and before it becomes a handling issue. Note, if you can think of this problem, they can. And they're not going to leave it unaddressed.
| |||
|
Learn it, know it, live it |
Self-driving trucks don't have drivers in them. Kinda fucks up the self driving point. So your thread is null and void. Try again when they omit the driver altogether.. | |||
|
| The success of a solution usually depends upon your point of view |
If a driver isn’t driving are they really a driver? These trucks are self driving with a human onboard that can override the automated systems if needed. It would be interesting to see stats on how often human intervention is required and in what situations. I've said for years that the first actual use of true autonomous vehicles would be commercial trucks on point to point routes on interstates and its closer then some people want to believe. If it has not been done already, the next step will have the driver removed and replaced with remote monitoring, probably from a chase vehicle at first. 2 business models that are talked about are self driving trucks that run between 2 facilities located right at the interstate where the trailers are swapped between conventional tractors and the autonomous tractors and one where a driver takes the truck to the interstate, places it in auto mode and sends it on its way to its destination where another driver meets it at the interstate, takes it out of auto mode, and drives it to it's destination. “We truly live in a wondrous age of stupid.” - 83v45magna "I think it's important that people understand free speech doesn't mean free from consequences societally or politically or culturally." -Pranjit Kalita, founder and CIO of Birkoa Capital Management | |||
|
Member |
If all of these systems were easily monitored by a computer, and was cost effective and beneficial, they would be. It’s not hard to have a cab alarm that would a alert the driver to something like low tire pressure, etc. There is no sensor that will allow a computer to anticipate future events, like a four wheeler that is distracted due to texting, or the lights of a LEO on the side of the road writing a ticket a mile ahead. A self driving truck would be a great tool, but it will be a long time before a driver is unnecessary. The driver actually does a lot more than just drive, and that aspect of the job isn’t being addressed at all. Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus | |||
|
| Saluki |
If you are relying on a bored off his ass minimum wage stearing wheel MONITOR to oversee this as a safety precaution you are betting on failure. When everything has gone to shit and Hal casually mentions he’s out, how long do you think it will take for Maverick to zip his trousers and close the porn app? Hal sure as hell won’t be driving in inclement conditions, the very time you’d like a bit of HBO from the cyborg in the grill. Will Hal notice the overpass ahead that blocks the 35mph wind hitting your trailer in the side? Will Hal ease off the wheel so you don’t “English” yourself into the truck or car you are passing? Does Hal notice the whiteout condition caused by the farmstead up ahead where people are stopping or maybe just slowing. Did Hal get the heads up that the local snow plowing crew is saving money by letting the road accumulate a couple inches of snow in their district? Did he get the memo about the shaker running out of salt for 3/4 mile? You’re relying on Hal to be able to wake up the driver who now has precious little experience in worst case scenarios. Today you might, and I repeat might get that super experienced driver to sit there attentively monitor Hal. Of course if you have a trucking company why in the Hell do you let that driver get out of a truck that needs a driver? What’s the plan 10 years out? I’ve said it before, they can barely keep lights burning on a typical tractor trailer, I often have cell connection problems, GPS mapping is not the joke it once was but still leaves a lot to be desired. Union Pacific has shit going sideways every damn day, a truck will improve on that? This will make Swift and their antics look like the good old days. ----------The weather is here I wish you were beautiful---------- | |||
|
| Big Stack |
I actually agree that having a "driver" int he truck to back up the computer will be damn near useless. As far as the conditional issues you raise, do you think that companies that build trucks don't know this stuff? Do you not think they're hiring experienced drivers to consult on the programming of these trucks to deal with all these conditions? Everyone involved in these projects knows the potential problems, and the huge liability involved. They're not leaving anything unaddressed. Will everything work perfectly in all conditions? Of course not. That's not the question. The question is will it work better than human drivers? Maybe not at first, but after a few years, very likely. And remember, human drivers have issues all their own that computers don't.
| |||
|
| Peace through superior firepower  |
Does the Texas Air National Guard have any A-10s? These driverless trucks would make great strafing targets. | |||
|
| Muzzle flash aficionado  |
I think it will be a while before the drivers' unions let driverless trucks take over. flashguy Texan by choice, not accident of birth | |||
|
| Big Stack |
I doubt they'll have any say over it. IIRC, most drivers are non-union, and a lot are independent contractors.
| |||
|
| Member |
This is correct. Very little of the trucking industry is unionized since deregulation under Reagan, and what little is left is concentrated in LTL (less-than-load) freight companies, like Yellow or UPS Freight. Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus | |||
|
Member |
Rail road is the answer nobody is focused on..... The amount of big trucks is outrageous. Choking the road ways and damaging the surface. | |||
|
| Member |
The RR is a joke. They loose freight for months at a time, and tell you to piss off if you have a problem with it. Unless you’ve got an expensive dedicated rail spur, RR freight is going on a truck at some point anyway. This makes it way more expensive because of the transloading. UPS recently announced that it is discontinuing intermodal freight due to the RR lack of service. The RR is it’s own worst enemy. Good for hauling coal and bulk commodities, but useless for consumer goods. If it’s freight that can’t be humped, the railroads don’t seem very interested in being competitive with trucks. But they do like to whine about the trucking industry while pursing government money. Demand not that events should happen as you wish; but wish them to happen as they do happen, and you will go on well. -Epictetus | |||
|
Member |
Trucking companies can’t grow currently due to lack of labor (drivers) and are clamoring for the driverless trucks as a long term solution. They also already have monstrous liability insurance, which is getting more and more expensive, and finding experienced, safe drivers is nearly impossible, plus the current labor force of drivers is aging rapidly. Few millennials are interested in trucking as a career. Demographics are going to drive this, and autonomous trucks will be a major deal in the near future. There is a market waiting for it, with lots of money to purchase equipment that the tech companies can sell. | |||
|
| Big Stack |
Giving this a bump. 60 minutes did a story on this last night. Some interesting info. A couple of tidbits. A driverless truck can cut the time for a cross country run from four days to two. And the companies developing this are starting to dispense with "safety drivers" as backups, and sending them out on the road completely unmanned. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/d...-minutes-2020-03-15/ | |||
|
Member |
This is actually a commonly used statistic for measuring capability of self-driving vehicle systems, usually reported as average "miles between disengagements." E.g., for 2019 in California, Waymo's self-driving cars (the self-driving car program related to Google) logged 1.45 million miles and averaged 13,219 miles between disengagements. https://www.reuters.com/articl...rement-idUSKCN20K31X I don't know about the details specific to 18 wheelers, but for passenger cars, freeway driving is MUCH, MUCH easier than surface road driving. | |||
|
| Member |
Not in Texas but there are PLENTY in Arizona. Should be an easy mission. | |||
|
| The Ice Cream Man |
If rail wasn’t so messed up, they’d already do what Europe does, and load the trailers on a train, haul it log distance, and leave the drivers for the rest. Yes, they could probably, and probably should automate, much of Raul, but an engineer, etc is responsible for so much freight, that his cost is probably insignificant. | |||
|
Member |
"I'm taking little white pills, I'm seeing white lines, you know that log book? She's way behind"! | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata | Page 1 2 3 4 |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
© SIGforum 2024