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Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

cnn.com

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Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#311

Post by tasuki »

dylan604 wrote: post #251
recursive wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OK I'll explain it to you. Automation changes the labor landscape as it has done since the industrial revolution. This is nothing new.

okay, but automating an elevator is something someone from python bootcamp could do. automating a semi-truck is not. so again, to compare the two is ludicrous. if you honestly feel like they are the same, you are someone I would semi-politely make my excuse to leave the conversation at a party. hey, look, there's someone over there that i haven't seen and would really like to talk to them rather than you. enjoy the p…

It is directionally similar. We've progressed, so we're automating more.

Enjoy the party too. I'll go have a drink with recursive.

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#312

Post by rsanek »

recursivedoubts wrote: post #56
EvanAnderson wrote: post #32

There'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…

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!

turns out, the US has already done this at a scale larger than anyone else https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_rail_tr...

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#313

Post by virtue3 »

o11c wrote: post #101
recursivedoubts wrote: post #56

Earlier 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!

The problem with railroad is exactly the other side of this: that you can't trivially and automatically detach a single car at any point. I know businesses that literally have an old railroad branch line right up to their door, but they can't actually order anything meaningful via rail. The existing rail system has at least the following constraints: * Uses steel-on-steel friction, rather than rubber-on-rock. Cars th…

railroad maintenance is also incredibly expensive.

Especially compared to when you can offload the road maintenance to the state / rest of the population.

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#314

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

virtue3 wrote: post #313
o11c wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with railroad is exactly the other side of this: that you can't trivially and automatically detach a single car at any point. I know businesses that literally have an old railroad branch line right up to their door, but they can't actually order anything meaningful via rail. The existing rail system has at least the following constraints: * Uses steel-on-steel friction, rather than rubber-on-rock. Cars th…

railroad maintenance is also incredibly expensive. Especially compared to when you can offload the road maintenance to the state / rest of the population.

As repairing roads costs so much, it annoys me that we don't make some attempt at penalising the heaviest vehicles. As road damage is roughly proportional to the fourth power of weight, it would make a lot of sense to prevent logistics companies from just using the largest vehicles that they can - it should work out costing less if loads are broken up and delivered via multiple, lighter vehicles. However, as the public bears the cost, it means that logistics companies will just look at their expenses (drivers' wages, fuel etc).

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#315

Post by ndsipa_pomu »

rpozarickij wrote: post #273

I think having some kind of a sign/light on a vehicle (especially big one) saying that it's being operated autonomously could be quite useful. You can't wave at an autonomous vehicle and expect it to understand from the context why you are waving at it.

Why would you be needing to wave at a vehicle?

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#316

Post by stubish »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #296
EvanAnderson wrote: post #32

There'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…

Completely driverless and I wonder when we’ll read about the first case of truck cargo piracy.

Its probably easier to hijack a truck with a driver, because you can bribe drivers to be the inside guy.

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#317

Post by vlan0 »

analog31 wrote: post #242
vlan0 wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's an interesting bar to set. And it shows how we're willing to bend that safety bar to allow seniors to drive on the roads despite their clear cognitive disadvantage. Let's look at some raw data. Mind you, we have 100x more data for the human drivers below. ie, billions of miles vs millions for automated drivers. Pop examined Fatal-crash rate All Level‑4 automated‑driving tests in the U.S. 1.5–1.7 per 100 M mi Dri…

Likewise younger drivers, as indicated by insurance rates.

You're not wrong. Data shows driver under 20 are involved in 4.8 fatal crashes per 100m miles.

Speed, alcohol, lower seat-belt use, and of course, inexperience are listed as the primary contributing factors.

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#318

Post by A4ET8a8uTh0_v2 »

simoncion wrote: post #214
kgwxd wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

110% transparency. We have no clue how they actually tested, how they cheated, what they're lying about, and all the other nefarious BS corporations constantly pull. A single person could turn all of these things into Decepticon in seconds. We need to know that that is intentionally made impossible, and no one will ever make it possible in secret. It could give someone the power of a global army.

> A single person could turn all of these things into Decepticon in seconds. ... It could give someone the power of a global army. We're talking about an ordinary semi truck with attached trailer and a bevy of sensors. This isn't a war machine. The worst thing that can happen here is the same thing that can happen with an inattentive or exhausted driver.

I suppose various LEOs are worried over nothing then. I will say this though. Car, like so many other things, is just a tool and like with most, if not all, tools, the question of whether it is a war machine is a rather pragmatic one. Can it be used for war purpose?

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#319

Post by LargoLasskhyfv »

cco wrote: post #224
recursivedoubts wrote: post #56

Earlier 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!

Jokes aside, Germany trialed a hybrid catenary truck system which was really neat. Diesel to get you from the warehouse to the highway, extend your pantograph and boom, you're electric in the right lane (outside lane) all the way to your exit. Never looked into how it penciled out but I always thought that was a great idea. Seems like there is a path to add in driverless aspects to the system as well given you have c…

It penciled out by striking it through. Meaning they all have been built back, and aren't in operation anymore, with no further experiments planned.

Also disinterest by truck manufacturers.

Re: Driverless semis have started running regular longhaul routes

#320

Post by potato3732842 »

kerkeslager wrote: post #212
potato3732842 wrote: post #169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Truckers are compelled to work without sleep to finish routes with tight deadlines. This is statement is somewhere between ignorant and an outright lie. There's a bunch of rules governing how many hours truckers can work. And those regulations are mostly followed. And when they're not it's typically some local outfit delivering fuel or groceries, not the long haul mega fleets https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/ho…

> There's a bunch of rules governing how many hours truckers can work. True! > And those regulations are mostly followed. Very false, at least as of 5 years ago. I worked with trucker biometric data which for a large company which runs trucks all over North America. The company itself keeps its hands clean: they required drivers to keep strict manual logs and have strict rules about compliance with regulation. But at…

The E-log requirement all but eliminates drivers cooking the books.

The book cooking happens when the company hires a sketchy firm out of eastern europe to provide the software who then cook the books on the back end. These carriers are a small minority (lest they become juicy targets for enforcement) and have high turnover.

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