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Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

theguardian.com

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Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#121

Post by daniel-cussen »

SilasX wrote: post #90
alphaalpha101 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah the impact on roads increases with the fourth power of vehicle weight. Why doesn't the tax?

Truck industry lobbying.

There's a lot to this. But it's not just about lobbying, it's also about unions and votes. The American auto dealerships likewise have a lot of what's described as "lobbying power" when really it's more that they have a lot of people that want to see politicians protect them.

Many trucks in the US have a bumper sticker that says, "Without trucks, America stops." Teamster strikes, like the León Vilarín teamster strike in October 1972 in Chile, are a disaster for any country and create national emergencies.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#122

Post by notatoad »

felippee wrote: post #79
notatoad wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's almost certainly a temporary effect though - if the trucks are being outfitted with the hardware necesary for full automation, full automation is only a software update away and the pilots will only have a job for the relatively short period where automation isn't good enough to handle that portion of the journey.

It's going to be a one hell of a software update...

that's how autopilot landed on current Tesla cars.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#123

Post by tyingq »

daniel-cussen wrote: post #119
tyingq wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As far as wear and tear on the highway: that's what weigh stations are for. That doesn't create a system where trucks pay taxes roughly proportional to the damage they do.

I remember reading the damage a vehicle does is roughly proportional to the fourth power of its weight.

There's a pretty good chart here, near the bottom: http://pedalfortcollins.com/greatest-demand-on-tax-dollars/

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#124

Post by greggarious »

The modern airplane is fairly heavily automated, and probably could be piloted from afar. But we choose to mandate a pilot on board.

I suspect a similar situation will play out for trucks.

I suspect that truckers, like pilots, may see wages stagnate and longer hours, but the profession won't disappear anytime soon.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#126

Post by kuschku »

winstonewert wrote: post #63
toomuchtodo wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Profits kept by shareholders.

and spent by them as well.

Spent by them in other countries, where they patriotically only spend it locally.

That’s the problem of the modern globalized world, all the profits end up spent in the US.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#127

Post by kuschku »

dforrestwilson wrote: post #73
didgeoridoo wrote: post #12

The approach that Starsky ( http://starsky.io/ ) is taking seems to be a promising one. They employ truck drivers as remote pilots for the "first and last mile", i.e. the local roads and loading dock work that autonomous vehicles struggle with most. Other advantages include lower fuel costs (driving slower because AVs aren't subject to operator-hour limits) and probably also lower labor costs (you don't need to pay t…

Corollary - Why no driverless trains yet?

They exist for local rail and subways, and with the unification of the European signaling and braking systems, soon they’ll also dominate long-range rail

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#128

Post by DoubleCribble »

greggarious wrote: post #124

The modern airplane is fairly heavily automated, and probably could be piloted from afar. But we choose to mandate a pilot on board. I suspect a similar situation will play out for trucks. I suspect that truckers, like pilots, may see wages stagnate and longer hours, but the profession won't disappear anytime soon.

Mu impression is most commercial flights are largely run on autopilot. AFAIK, pilots typically only get involved for takeoff, landing, flight path changes and abnormal events. If last-mile piloting was a thing, I'm sure the airlines would try to cut costs by getting rid of the crew for the auto-pilot segments. It seems trivial for an automated truck to pull off the highway and wait for a trucker to deliver a vehicle, yet impossible for an aircraft to hold at 30k feet and wait for a pilot.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#129

Post by silvestrov »

DoubleCribble wrote: post #128
greggarious wrote: post #124

The modern airplane is fairly heavily automated, and probably could be piloted from afar. But we choose to mandate a pilot on board. I suspect a similar situation will play out for trucks. I suspect that truckers, like pilots, may see wages stagnate and longer hours, but the profession won't disappear anytime soon.

Mu impression is most commercial flights are largely run on autopilot. AFAIK, pilots typically only get involved for takeoff, landing, flight path changes and abnormal events. If last-mile piloting was a thing, I'm sure the airlines would try to cut costs by getting rid of the crew for the auto-pilot segments. It seems trivial for an automated truck to pull off the highway and wait for a trucker to deliver a vehicle,…

A huge difference is that when something goes wrong with a truck then the autopilot can just apply the brakes and let the truck come to a halt and wait for help.

That doesn't work with airplanes.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#130

Post by greggarious »

DoubleCribble wrote: post #128
greggarious wrote: post #124

The modern airplane is fairly heavily automated, and probably could be piloted from afar. But we choose to mandate a pilot on board. I suspect a similar situation will play out for trucks. I suspect that truckers, like pilots, may see wages stagnate and longer hours, but the profession won't disappear anytime soon.

Mu impression is most commercial flights are largely run on autopilot. AFAIK, pilots typically only get involved for takeoff, landing, flight path changes and abnormal events. If last-mile piloting was a thing, I'm sure the airlines would try to cut costs by getting rid of the crew for the auto-pilot segments. It seems trivial for an automated truck to pull off the highway and wait for a trucker to deliver a vehicle,…

>It seems trivial for an automated truck to pull off the highway and wait for a trucker to deliver a vehicle, yet impossible for an aircraft to hold at 30k feet and wait for a pilot.

I think many people will not like the idea of sharing a highway with an unmanned truck.

I've done my fair share of driving (including a couple cross country drives to SF for internships), and the scariest parts usually involved passing or being in close proximity to semis.

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