Can Robotrucks Deliver a New Era of Driverless Technology?
Can Robotrucks Deliver a New Era of Driverless Technology?
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Clear winners are hard to pick in the race to develop self-driving vehicles, but autonomous trucks have built a convincing lead. Robotrucks have completed thousands of automated journeys and the world appears to be braced for a new era of driverless delivery growth.
November 2, 2024
Big-name vehicle manufacturers like Daimler and Peterbilt, alongside autonomous vehicle (AV) innovators like Aurora, Monarch Transportation Systems, TuSimple, and Waymo Via have sunk billions of dollars into making self-driving trucks work. Manufacturers and technology companies see this as a solid investment in a road freight market estimated to be worth more than $700 billion in the US alone.
Vehicles are fitted with sophisticated lidar road scanning systems, computer vision, and AI predictive software, servicing the so-called ‘middle mile’ between distribution centers, where loads are picked up and dropped off for human drivers to complete deliveries to homes and businesses.
For example, Fort Worth, in north central Texas, is the site of a 27,000-acre distribution hub that includes a freight airport and rail yard, with regional bases for companies including Amazon, UPS, and FedEx. Infrastructure friendly to self-driving vehicles was installed by AV companies, including 5G cell networks and specialist warehouse docks, to create room for the industry to grow. Large Class 8 robotrucks drive unmanned on long-distance routes between Fort Worth and Houston thanks in part to a state bill passed in 2017 permitting the tests. Other states have their own regulations in place to allow AV trucks on public roads.
Analysts say that up to 90 percent of long-haul trucking jobs will be lost to self-driving technology. There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the US and unions and industry leaders say huge job losses are likely. One study predicts that more than 500,000 jobs will disappear as the majority of highway driving is automated. Safety is another concern. Questions about whether authorities are ready to deal with the new technology followed a crash between a Waymo Via Class 8 truck and another human-driven semi-truck near Ennis, Texas. While the human driver was at fault, it seemed that the Waymo truck lost control during the incident, and a report exposed weaknesses in the way the AI dealt with the situation.
AV industry representatives say their vehicles are safer than trucks driven by people and will improve road safety. But doubts from road safety campaigners, transport workers, and city authorities exist about rapid change without stricter controls. All agree that new laws, as well as more detail on how society will be affected by this new technology, will be necessary.
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