An autonomous “self-driving” vehicle is becoming a hot topic in truck stops and other commercial establishments frequented by semi-truck drivers. There is no doubt, these individuals are concerned about losing their jobs to autonomous commercial vehicles. As more and more companies are turning to automation to reduce their human workforce, the demand for autonomous freight vehicles is believed to increase in the near future. While human truck drivers are concerned about job loss, companies are continuously looking for new ways to minimize their overall expenses. What role will the self-driving truck have in the global logistics industry? One thing is for sure, a lot of changes will take place as each new autonomous truck hits the road. Find more in the content provided below.
Major Pros And Cons Of ATs
Currently, in the United States, long-haul truckers are only permitted to be actively driving 14 hours out of 24 hours. This does seem to be an abnormally long workday, which is exactly how federal officials view it as well. These workers operate on a 14/10 (14 hours on and 10 hours off the clock) work schedule. The move to drive down the driver’s work schedule was an effort by government officials to minimize motor vehicle accidents involving semi-trucks.
Unlike the human truck driver, the autonomous truck can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While this will probably never be the case, some logistic companies believe it may play in their favor to invest in the autonomous truck.
Impact On The Future
Experts also believe the autonomous truck will be involved in fewer motor vehicle accidents as compared to human drivers. Of course, more evidence is needed to back up this theory. In the meantime, the demand for more custom software development is at its highest in years. With or without a human driver, the semi-freight truck utilizes various technologies to operate properly. A few examples include artificial intelligence devices, radars, GPS systems, collision detection, and rear-view camera system.
The impact of the autonomous vehicle is expected to be both positive and negative. As more ATs hit the highways, more drivers would be forced into retirement or the unemployment line.
Samples Of ATs
Right now, autonomous trucking technology is still in its infancy. It is going to take time for the technology to improve. When it becomes more reliable, there is a good chance that more companies will adopt it. The technology has improved significantly since it was announced several years ago. In December of 2019, the California-based Plus.ai announced that its self-driving truck had traveled across the country. The Level 4 autonomous semi-tractor-trailer traveled 2,800 miles from a shipping center in Tulare, California to another facility in Quakertown, Pennsylvania.
The autonomous truck followed I-15 and I-75, and it took three days to complete. The truck stayed primarily in autonomous mode, but a safety driver intervened when necessary. In March of 2020, TuSimple announced that it had expanded its freight-hauling pilot program with its partner UPS. At the time, the company was performing 20 trips a week to haul cargo between Phoenix and Tuscon as well as Phoenix and El Paso, Texas. In July of the same year, Locomation concluded a two-week pilot program with Wilson Logistics.
During the program, Locomation’s autonomous trucks hauled cargo from Portland, Oregon to Nampa, Idaho over Interstate 84.
