They still have to pay a human "driver" who actually still drives the truck until it gets on the interstate. I don't see much of a cost reduction, if any.
With all due respect, I don't believe you've thought this through in relation to driver time and government regulations. Truck drivers are limited in the hours they can drive during a given period. Assuming this is not required for an automated driver (admittedly not a given when talking about government bureaucrats), this is a huge increase in productivity for trucking.
Tons of cost reduction for long haul trucking. Federal law limits (as well the human body) the hours per day a driver can drive. Now the truck can be moving many more hours of the day without a second driver.
Good point. Logically it makes sense. However, please note that airline pilots are still required to count the time that the plane is on autopilot toward their flight time. Same will likely apply here.
Legally, the pilots can't put the plane on autopilot and just leave the cockpit. Most of a pilot's job (even General Aviation pilots) is to monitor the aircraft and to make sure they don't hit anything. It's not really the same as a system that is literally running the whole show (and the truck driver left the drivers' area of the truck).
IF the politicans and the unions don't squash this, the cost reduction will be in savings due to fewer accidents. But that's a big IF. Workers involved in any innovation despise it. They will sabotage this, and I wouldn't put it past them to run these trucks off the road or cause other types of "accidents". The adjustment period will be a while.
Regulations on the trucking industry is outrageous. Stupid. In the States, a driver is only allowed 11 hours of driving a day. Then spend 10 hours in a sleeper? Yeah, that's restful. But here in Alaska, they are allowed 15 hours of driving and 20 hours of on duty time per day. As the owner of a trucking company here in Fairbanks, I know this industry very well. I can't see the government easing restrictions even with an automated truck. Here in Alaska, we can't even get a truck with a automatic transmission to figure out our mountains on cruise control. But, it is exciting to see intonation in this area. To see real savings in transportation, government regs have got to be stopped, and reversed. Take the federal requirement of using Ultra Low Sulpher fuel, when Alaska was finally forced to use it, we saw fuel consumption rise by 35%. And the fuel was 50-75% more to purchase. Guess who got the cost passed on to?
They still have to pay a human "driver" who actually still drives the truck until it gets on the interstate. I don't see much of a cost reduction, if any.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect, I don't believe you've thought this through in relation to driver time and government regulations. Truck drivers are limited in the hours they can drive during a given period. Assuming this is not required for an automated driver (admittedly not a given when talking about government bureaucrats), this is a huge increase in productivity for trucking.
DeleteTons of cost reduction for long haul trucking. Federal law limits (as well the human body) the hours per day a driver can drive. Now the truck can be moving many more hours of the day without a second driver.
DeleteGood point. Logically it makes sense. However, please note that airline pilots are still required to count the time that the plane is on autopilot toward their flight time. Same will likely apply here.
DeleteLegally, the pilots can't put the plane on autopilot and just leave the cockpit. Most of a pilot's job (even General Aviation pilots) is to monitor the aircraft and to make sure they don't hit anything. It's not really the same as a system that is literally running the whole show (and the truck driver left the drivers' area of the truck).
DeleteIF the politicans and the unions don't squash this, the cost reduction will be in savings due to fewer accidents. But that's a big IF. Workers involved in any innovation despise it. They will sabotage this, and I wouldn't put it past them to run these trucks off the road or cause other types of "accidents". The adjustment period will be a while.
ReplyDeletei will believe it when they can do it without a human chaperone
ReplyDeleteThat truck needs to be trained to get in the left lane and pace the truck next to it in the right lane.
ReplyDeleteRobot Turtle Race!
DeleteRegulations on the trucking industry is outrageous. Stupid.
ReplyDeleteIn the States, a driver is only allowed 11 hours of driving a day. Then spend 10 hours in a sleeper? Yeah, that's restful.
But here in Alaska, they are allowed 15 hours of driving and 20 hours of on duty time per day.
As the owner of a trucking company here in Fairbanks, I know this industry very well.
I can't see the government easing restrictions even with an automated truck.
Here in Alaska, we can't even get a truck with a automatic transmission to figure out our mountains on cruise control.
But, it is exciting to see intonation in this area.
To see real savings in transportation, government regs have got to be stopped, and reversed.
Take the federal requirement of using Ultra Low Sulpher fuel, when Alaska was finally forced to use it, we saw fuel consumption rise by 35%. And the fuel was 50-75% more to purchase.
Guess who got the cost passed on to?
Uber owned by Rham's brother. Everything is a racket.
ReplyDeleteThere's a joke here about Budweiser being garbage and this being a fancy garbage truck, but I'm tired and I can't assemble the pieces.
ReplyDelete