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Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

reuters.com

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Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#141

Post by michaelbuckbee »

linsomniac wrote: post #6

Back in 1987, at my first job at Hewlett-Packard, they had a little robot that would deliver mail. This was their plant in Loveland, CO, I believe it was the first non-California site HP opened. Along the main hallways there was some sort of retroreflective tape laid down, and the robot, which looked like and equipment cart, would follow that tape. At every stop it would sound a chime and the secretary for that secti…

Similar systems are used in hospitals for delivering pharmaceuticals from the main pharmacy to floors.

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#142

Post by zaroth »

ambicapter wrote: post #94
zaroth wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quoted costs for positive train control just seem astronomical for what is actually being achieved; > Under RSIA08, PTC is required on about 60,000 miles of railroad track. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) estimates full PTC implementation will cost approximately $14 billion. [1] I understand that everything looks simple from the outside, and these have to be rugged, reliable, redundant, and failsafe, bu…

> we’re talking about basically AEB (automatic emergency braking) for trains How far ahead does AEB look? Because trains take miles to stop. The system is different to account for that.

Yeah, in a 2D problem space, with every vehicle already reporting position back to the network!

The two dimensions being track offset (distance from start of line), and time.

This isn’t even obstacle detection. This is a) obeying the speed limit, and b) not asking two known entities to occupy the same length of track at the same time.

It does not, for example, detect a car stuck on the tracks at the next railroad crossing.

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#143

Post by Jun8 »

linsomniac wrote: post #6

Back in 1987, at my first job at Hewlett-Packard, they had a little robot that would deliver mail. This was their plant in Loveland, CO, I believe it was the first non-California site HP opened. Along the main hallways there was some sort of retroreflective tape laid down, and the robot, which looked like and equipment cart, would follow that tape. At every stop it would sound a chime and the secretary for that secti…

Your comment brought back a memory: My wife was interning at Eli Lilly in their HQ in Indy in the summer of 1999 and they had an office mail robot that fits the exact description you gave.

I think it followed markings on the floor. Zero computer vision, when it came your way you'd better watch out, it nearly squished me against a wall while I was watching it.

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#144

Post by wnevets »

noer wrote: post #7

>TuSimple and the USPS declined to disclose the cost of the program, but Frum said no tax dollars were used and the agency relies on revenue from sales of postage and other products. Really? This is exactly the kind of thing we should be spending tax dollars on. I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget but they provide a lot of valuable services in addition to…

> I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget

Because republicans have spent decades trying to kill it. Before the post office was forced to pay pensions fund up front by republicans [1] it was self sustainable.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/45018432

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#145

Post by wnevets »

fjp wrote: post #36
freehunter wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget A concentrated disinformation campaign funded by people who stand to benefit from privatizing mail delivery. It started with the mandate to pre-fund pension and healthcare benefits for the next 75 years, funding pensions for retired employees who aren't even born yet. That means by federal mandate, the USPS is sitting…

This is happening everywhere with all kinds of government services. "Slash budgets" and by firing full time employees and cutting investment, piecemeal it out to the lowest-bid contractor, the quality of service deteriorates, not much money is actually saved, but someone gets rich(er)!

>the quality of service deteriorates, not much money is actually saved,

not only does the service get worse but cost actually goes up.

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#146

Post by dd36 »

the_reformation wrote: post #140
freehunter wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget A concentrated disinformation campaign funded by people who stand to benefit from privatizing mail delivery. It started with the mandate to pre-fund pension and healthcare benefits for the next 75 years, funding pensions for retired employees who aren't even born yet. That means by federal mandate, the USPS is sitting…

We agree that the pension obligations are the reason why the USPS (once one of the most innovative logistics organizations in the world) has degraded so throughly. But pointing to shadowy private interests is backfilling personal politics into the narrative. The obvious culprit of USPS' debilitating pension obligations the pensioners themselves.

The pensioners create the pension system of their employer?

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#147

Post by dd36 »

treis wrote: post #139
kevin_b_er wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, set aside liabilities for 75 years in the future. They effectively have to fund people before they're born, unless you think they've got a lot of workers who'll be there over 75 years old. So, yes, they have to fund. And they're struggling because they're being subject to deliberate and malicious political attack on public services.

>Yes, set aside liabilities for 75 years in the future. They effectively have to fund people before they're born, unless you think they've got a lot of workers who'll be there over 75 years old. They have to set aside money to pay pension obligations that they have incurred to their current employees. No money is being set aside to pay pensions for workers who have yet to be born. A tiny fraction of the money set asi…

What other government agencies pre-fund or have been forced to make up their funding?

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#148

Post by Velchronus »

wnevets wrote: post #144
noer wrote: post #7

>TuSimple and the USPS declined to disclose the cost of the program, but Frum said no tax dollars were used and the agency relies on revenue from sales of postage and other products. Really? This is exactly the kind of thing we should be spending tax dollars on. I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget but they provide a lot of valuable services in addition to…

> I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget Because republicans have spent decades trying to kill it. Before the post office was forced to pay pensions fund up front by republicans [1] it was self sustainable. https://www.cnbc.com/id/45018432

This is a meme with no basis in reality.

> Because republicans have spent decades trying to kill it. Before the post office was forced to pay pensions fund up front by republicans [1] it was self sustainable.

The PAEA was passed unanimously in both chambers of Congress and with the support of two of the employee unions. source: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr6407

The pre-funding period ended in 2017 -- Current retirees are paid from this fund. Since the USPS missed the majority of its payments to the PRHB, the fund is currently running deficits and will be depleted by 2030. source: https://www.gao.gov/assets/700/694188.pdf

That means that even if it was "Pay As You Go", it would not be self sustainable.

Re: Self-driving trucks begin mail delivery test for U.S. Postal Service

#150

Post by Obi_Juan_Kenobi »

Velchronus wrote: post #148
wnevets wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I have no idea why people think the USPS is this giant wasteful pit of money in the federal budget Because republicans have spent decades trying to kill it. Before the post office was forced to pay pensions fund up front by republicans [1] it was self sustainable. https://www.cnbc.com/id/45018432

This is a meme with no basis in reality. > Because republicans have spent decades trying to kill it. Before the post office was forced to pay pensions fund up front by republicans [1] it was self sustainable. The PAEA was passed unanimously in both chambers of Congress and with the support of two of the employee unions. source: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr6407 The pre-funding period ended in 2017 --…

Where does your first source list the votes or state the support of employee unions?
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