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Trucks Are Killing Us

nytimes.com

21–30 of 248 posts

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#21
post #13

> About a mile before the crash, the driver ignored work-zone warning signs on the New Jersey Turnpike of likely delays What was expected here, honestly? Should he have made a note in his notebook? > About a half-mile later, the posted speed limit dropped to 45 m.p.h. from the usual 65, which the driver also ignored. Truly more often than not the people who do slow down are in the vast minority and arguably the bigge…

I suspect you are a poor driver.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#22
post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They might want to pivot into something that's going to be needed in ten years.

Why wouldn't something like this be needed in ten years?

Theoretically, self-driving machines will be traversing highways fairly accurately in ten years.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#23

It might be unfair assume accidents involving trucks are necessarily due to truck drivers. I think self-driving trucks have many more benefits however other than possibly reducing accidents.

Over 90% of accidents are caused by human error. That doesn't mean it's necessarily the truck driver's fault, as there are other drivers on the road. But if it isn't his fault, it's the fault of another driver. Considering how long truck drivers drive for and in what conditions, I wouldn't be surprised if much of that 90% is actually attributed to the truck drivers themselves instead of other drivers.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#24
post #3

Self-driving trucks seem to have such great promise to improve the safety and efficiency of the trucking industry and our highways in general. Even if they're only self-driving during the long haul sections and human drivers take over for local deliveries it would make a huge difference. Hopefully the various interested lobbies don't try to put too many artificial barriers in the way of self driving trucks becoming a…

I'm carefully optimistic since this would be in there interest of the trucking industry and they already seem to be succeeding at pushing laws through that are bad for the drivers. I would love a system where the trucks get driven to a lot outside of the city where they get set on a automatic course to the equivalent lot at the destination. During transit no person is onboard at all. At the destination lot a human en…

This system sounds an awful lot like the freight rail system. That seems like it would be easier to automate, too.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#26
I'm not able to comment on all parts of the article, but one thing stuck out at me: deaths were up from 2009-2013, but so was the volume of freight being shipped: http://www.transtats.bts.gov/osea/seasonaladjustment/?PageVa.... That makes that particular statistic quite dubious.

Disclosure: I work for a SAAS company serving the logistics industry, which is why I knew that. I don't really have an opinion about how regulated the industry is. My personal work doesn't deal with that, and I'm pretty ignorant of it. I'm quite willing to believe that this article is accurate at the big picture level.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#27
post #3

Self-driving trucks seem to have such great promise to improve the safety and efficiency of the trucking industry and our highways in general. Even if they're only self-driving during the long haul sections and human drivers take over for local deliveries it would make a huge difference. Hopefully the various interested lobbies don't try to put too many artificial barriers in the way of self driving trucks becoming a…

I'm carefully optimistic since this would be in there interest of the trucking industry and they already seem to be succeeding at pushing laws through that are bad for the drivers. I would love a system where the trucks get driven to a lot outside of the city where they get set on a automatic course to the equivalent lot at the destination. During transit no person is onboard at all. At the destination lot a human en…

> I'm carefully optimistic since this would be in there interest of the trucking industry

How would self-driving trucks help the trucking industry?

It seems like driverless technology will only make the business even more commoditized than it already is, and the only ones that make any money will be the one or two companies with the iPhone apps where you push the button to get your truck.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#28

This is why many people believe self-driving trucks will be even more significant than self-driving cars. Especially as we start to commute less as telepresence improves and more jobs can go remote.

OK, just as long as trucks aren't driven through telepresence. Drone operators in the trucking industry might challenge their military brethren in terms of innocent people killed.

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#29

This is why many people believe self-driving trucks will be even more significant than self-driving cars. Especially as we start to commute less as telepresence improves and more jobs can go remote.

[deleted]

Re: Trucks Are Killing Us

#30

Until self driving machines become a reality, there are startups like Maven Machines in Pittsburgh that are tackling the problem of driver fatigue thru innovative use of machine learning. Site: http://mavenmachines.com/

They might want to pivot into something that's going to be needed in ten years.

Like flying cars?
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