It might begin very soon

[4x4ord]

Click

[QCMan]

Typically, the biggest cost in trucking is fuel followed very closely by insurance. Driver cost is nowhere near either of them. I would imagine insurance will leap to first place and leave fuel in the dust. That will surely drive the cost of shipping down. Everyone will want a very expensive cab that can't make enough to pay the bills. I am sure the average less than ten rig company will want to jump on that bandwagon. It will get them out of the rut of just making ends meet.

[free_radical]

Sandy Munro testing Tesla FSD

https://youtu.be/AU_JA-fCPsQ

[time2roll]

Bird Freak wrote:
How will they refuel?

What if it leaves without paying?

[free_radical]

4x4ord wrote:
Click

I doubt it will ever be legal not to have human driver on board to take control just in case.

Self driving buses
https://youtu.be/Ci4ekhVSbEI

[BB_TX]

I worked in controls in a safety related field, one dedicated to preventing explosions in power plants. Ideally they will use self-testing triple redundant fault tolerant controls or something equal. Those systems are available. We will see.

[Bird_Freak]

How will they refuel?

[wildtoad]

Let’s just hope the operating systems for the autonomous trucks isn’t based on Windows!

[rhagfo]

BB_TX wrote:
Ultimately they will likely be safer than human driven trucks. Will not get sleepy, distracted, driving while eating, etc. all while following driving rules and speed limits.

pnichols wrote:
Scarry is right!!

Imagine how full of integrated circuits, complex mechanical components, and communications equipment (for Internet and/or satellite connectivity) ... those trucks will be full of. All of that can, and will, fail here and there over time.

I hope that transportation regulations require those trucks to be clearly marked - including distinctive night lighting - so that the rest of us can stay well away from them on the highways.

P.S. Maybe I spent too many years working in the integrated circuits industry and too many hours watching those cable reality shows about big rig accident disasters in Alaska - most which have nothing to do with human error - but can be blamed on 80,000 lbs. of freight inter-acting with the laws of physics.

I worked in the IT sector also, it isn't only hardware, but the software that runs on it.
Too many time in the rush to deploy new programs, there were always a "Work Around" or a situation that wasn't tested.
what happens when the road is snow covered, and the chains required signs are up???

[pnichols]

Scarry is right!!

Imagine how full of integrated circuits, complex mechanical components, and communications equipment (for Internet and/or satellite connectivity) ... those trucks will be full of. All of tlhat can, and will, fail here and there over time.

I hope that transportation regulations require those trucks to be clearly marked - including distinctive night lighting - so that the rest of us can stay well away from them on the highways.

P.S. Maybe I spent too many years working in the integrated circuits industry and too many hours watching those cable reality shows about big rig accident disasters in Alaska - most which have nothing to do with human error - but can be blamed on 80,000 lbs. of freight inter-acting with the laws of physics.

[BB_TX]

Ultimately they will likely be safer than human driven trucks. Will not get sleepy, distracted, driving while eating, etc. all while following driving rules and speed limits.

[gbopp]

Interesting but, kind of scary.