Curious if there are specific route features that make this feasible or not, like traffic conditions or the roads or the warehouses on either end.
Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
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Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#12Hmmmmm. So we're going to have a lot of people potentially unemployed because of this...
Doubtful. The trucking industry has been screaming for years that they can’t find enough people, almost every 18-wheeler I see on the highway has a “we’re hiring” ad on it, and so on. This is automation coming in to replace humans who are willfully exiting.
They are hiring, but the reason they can't find people isn't because there aren't people out there willing to do the job if it's fairly compensated. The problem is that trucking has lost a ton of upside over the last few decades, particularly after the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. Drivers are often paid per mile instead of per hour, which means long unpaid periods waiting for loads or stuck in traffic.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#13Hmmmmm. So we're going to have a lot of people potentially unemployed because of this...
UBI is inevitable imo; we're going to continue to see machines replace humans in roles like this.
The guys with all of the money don't like paying people now when people actually deliver value with their labor. No way they do it once they can just have machines work for them.
Well, not with being asked politely, at least.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#14Hmmmmm. So we're going to have a lot of people potentially unemployed because of this...
Doubtful. The trucking industry has been screaming for years that they can’t find enough people, almost every 18-wheeler I see on the highway has a “we’re hiring” ad on it, and so on. This is automation coming in to replace humans who are willfully exiting.
Walmart and similar employers have no trouble finding drivers. Decent pay, benefits and schedules makes it easy.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#15Earlier quoted context omitted.
UBI is inevitable imo; we're going to continue to see machines replace humans in roles like this.
The guys with all of the money don't like paying people now when people actually deliver value with their labor. No way they do it once they can just have machines work for them. Well, not with being asked politely, at least.
> Well, not with being asked politely, at least.
yep, it definitely won't happen politely
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#16Curious if there are specific route features that make this feasible or not, like traffic conditions or the roads or the warehouses on either end.
I used to drive this route every few months for many years. Lots of seas of warehouses at the edge of both of these metro areas. I-45 is in pretty good shape with a lot of recent overhauls over the last decade along the whole path. You don't need to do any difficult overpasses or interchanges. 99% of this is just stay in the right lane and drive straight. You could almost do this with just adaptive cruise control. Which I mostly did a few times, just turn on cruise control and stay in the lane and you're there in a few hours.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#17Earlier quoted context omitted.
Doubtful. The trucking industry has been screaming for years that they can’t find enough people, almost every 18-wheeler I see on the highway has a “we’re hiring” ad on it, and so on. This is automation coming in to replace humans who are willfully exiting.
They are hiring, but the reason they can't find people isn't because there aren't people out there willing to do the job if it's fairly compensated. The problem is that trucking has lost a ton of upside over the last few decades, particularly after the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. Drivers are often paid per mile instead of per hour, which means long unpaid periods waiting for loads or stuck in traffic.
So as usual, "we can't find people" is code for "we tried to exploit the workers until they bled and for some reason we can't figure out, they went elsewhere."
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#18Hmmmmm. So we're going to have a lot of people potentially unemployed because of this...
It’s not as lucrative anymore because the trucks are effectively speed limited, location constantly tracked and hours micromanaged. Some setups even have a front facing and in cabin driver facing camera recording at all times. Also, they are paid per mile so the many hours they spend at the loading and unloading stations are effectively unpaid.
It’s not as lucrative to the folks that enjoyed pretty much total freedom outside of the start and end points.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
Doubtful. The trucking industry has been screaming for years that they can’t find enough people, almost every 18-wheeler I see on the highway has a “we’re hiring” ad on it, and so on. This is automation coming in to replace humans who are willfully exiting.
They are hiring, but the reason they can't find people isn't because there aren't people out there willing to do the job if it's fairly compensated. The problem is that trucking has lost a ton of upside over the last few decades, particularly after the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. Drivers are often paid per mile instead of per hour, which means long unpaid periods waiting for loads or stuck in traffic.
You're citing a 45 year old law as the reason why, say 35 years in the future, it leads to notable shortages of people who want to be truck drivers?
Doesn't hold water for me. Do you have some specific idea about how this law only had this effect decades after it passed?
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
They are hiring, but the reason they can't find people isn't because there aren't people out there willing to do the job if it's fairly compensated. The problem is that trucking has lost a ton of upside over the last few decades, particularly after the Motor Carrier Act of 1980. Drivers are often paid per mile instead of per hour, which means long unpaid periods waiting for loads or stuck in traffic.
So as usual, "we can't find people" is code for "we tried to exploit the workers until they bled and for some reason we can't figure out, they went elsewhere."
Bingo. "No one wants to work [for a wage they can't live off of with pitiful benefits] anymore!"