Autonomous trucks gain traction amid job loss concerns

Driverless trucks are no longer
just a future possibility, but a
definite development that will
change trucking as it is known.
It’s coming that’s for sure.
Some say by 2020 others
reckon sooner.
Across the world teams of
techno-geeks are teaming up
in a race to deliver the first
autonomous vehicle, with
many now focusing more on
trucks than cars as they are
proving to be an easier target
to deliver.
Bigger than the average car,
they are able to carry more
sensors and cameras which
makes them easier to control.
And the routes trucks drive are
usually along long stretches of
relatively straight highways,
meaning less manoeuvering is
required.
In America a group of
ex-Googlers is making
massive inroads when it
comes to autonomous big rigs
saying they will soon have
a kit available that can be
attached to ordinary trucks,
transforming them into selfdriving
vehicles.
Having founded a company
called Otto, the team says it is
closing in fast on delivering the
world’s first fully autonomous
truck that will not only save
lives, but also the environment
in the long run.
“Computers at the end of
the day can perceive better,
calculate faster, react faster –
which means they can drive
faster,” Lior Ron, one of the
founders was recently quoted
as saying.
In the meantime Elon Musk
also unveiled his vision for selfdriving
electric trucks recently
saying that his company, Tesla,
was set to deliver the first of
these as soon as next year.
Mercedes Benz recently tested
its first semi-autonomous bus
in the Netherlands as part of a
plan that includes rolling it out
to trucks.
In the meantime Volvo
has already delivered vehicles
operating quite autonomously
in specific and controlled mine
operations across the world.
In Australia, the Fortesque
Metals Group has 47 similar
autonomous trucks operating
in its mining environment. It
claims yo have seen significant
improvements in productivity.
While it is commonly
understood that delivering
the software that will see
trucks exit and enter freeways
and navigate and manoeuvre
their way through suburban
streets may still be years off,
real questions are now being
asked about the future of truck
drivers – a profession that soon
will be under real risk.