In America, we are willing to do anything to avoid expanding or upgrading our rail infrastructure.
The US already has the largest freight rail system in the world, there are just things rail can’t do
Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
121–130 of 363 posts
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#122Earlier quoted context omitted.
next level would be to hook these "platoons" together physically and then centralize the propulsion in a super efficient package. And then we could move them off the highways and onto specialized "tracks" that guarantee they don't deviate from the planned routes. speculative, alien technology, admittedly, but some day our scientists will figure it out i bet!
So why aren't trains automated yet? I mean, beside the inter-airport shuttles. Seems like a much more constrained set of parameters to deal with. I'd think this would be a good "first" project to tackle for an AV company, even if the economics of replacing locomotive drivers/engineers weren't super compelling. Is it an insurance thing? Because a train wreck could be much more disastrous and costly? Or is it a union t…
> beside the inter-airport shuttles
Singapore and Sydney would like a word.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#123Earlier 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."
Since COVID happened until this year I would have told you "we can't find people" too, but this year the applications have flooded in. So at least they'll come crawling back eventually.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#124Hmmmmm. So we're going to have a lot of people potentially unemployed because of this...
There's a national truck driver shortage, with a particular lack of young drivers [1]. Perhaps automation technology will become widespread just in time for the current generation of drivers to retire. [1] https://www.iru.org/news-resources/newsroom/worse-you-though...
But also automated long-haul trucking has been pretty clearly on the short term horizon for the last decade. I think most young people know that this is coming, and hence trucking is probably not the best career to invest your time in.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#125I am of two minds about all this. On the one hand, I see the clear, long-term potential given that half the people I see while driving are somehow on their phone. From that perspective, it can't come soon enough. Some people need to be off the road. On the other, I am annoyed that we are effectively beta testing those on public roads with public paying the price.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#126I am of two minds about all this. On the one hand, I see the clear, long-term potential given that half the people I see while driving are somehow on their phone. From that perspective, it can't come soon enough. Some people need to be off the road. On the other, I am annoyed that we are effectively beta testing those on public roads with public paying the price.
Is it fair to say they are "beta testing" on public roads with the public paying the price after they've done four years with a supervised driver in the cab?
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#127Autonomous trucks will be fantastic. Truckers are compelled to work without sleep to finish routes with tight deadlines. It creates a lot of danger on the highway.
It feels like autonomous vehicles could become one of America's superpowers. We have so many miles of road and interstate highway. Autonomous vehicles could double down on that strength and flip the underinvestment in passenger rail on its head, making it much less of an issue.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#128Hmmmmm. 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.
I agree. I'm a pretty die-hard free market proponent, but as we move away from labor scarcity via automation there's just no other choice than redistribution that allows a basic lifestyle for the unemployable. The transition will be tough though.
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#129Earlier quoted context omitted.
UBI is inevitable imo; we're going to continue to see machines replace humans in roles like this.
Swarms of murderbots are cheaper than UBI. This is going to get ugly.
I don’t know why you’re being downvoted. It is absolutely in the cards for the ownership class to send out swarms of drones to kill us all.
The best we can hope for is to all end up in permanent slums picking through garbage to survive.
One peep of protest a little too loud and suddenly we’ll all be living the same scenario that’s visible all over the “combat footage” portions of the web: you are walking along outdoors, you hear a buzz, and then suddenly you look up to realize there’s a drone coming at you. You panic and try to run but by the time you hear it, it’s too late. It catches up to you easily and drops a bomb on you. Or maybe it’s a smaller more targeted (and disposable) one that zips straight at your forehead and explodes on contact, destroying your brain.
People may say I’m a doomsayer but just look back at the history of labor in the US. They sent out privatized security to shoot anyone who didn’t cooperate. And that was when they still needed the workers! Just imagine what they’ll do when they no longer need anyone!
Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes
#130There's also a trial of "platooning" of driverless trucks on I-70 in Ohio and Indiana: https://www.forbes.com/sites/richardbishop1/2025/04/24/ease-... A "drivered" lead truck is leading one or more driverless trucks in this case. I drive the stretch of highway these trucks are on fairly regularly. I don't know that I've seen a group of them yet but I'm keeping my eye out. I'm probably just showing my age, but I like…
> There's also a trial of "platooning" That's been tried before. See Demo 97, when CALTRANS had a demo of self-driving.[1] Worked OK, but took a lot of roadside equipment, like a railroad. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlZEeIC_2lI
1997 was ten million years ago. Waymo doesn’t require any roadside equipment.