That’s why I’m focusing on highway travel: it’s the more controlled environment. The fact that car companies are offering hands-free highway driving is evidence of that. Local roads are a much more complex problem, and that’s where a human driver is much more capable.
So, like, automated truck driving on the highway, then they pull into a trucking hub for delivery drivers to take over once they reach their destination city? hmmm interesting
That’s generally been considered the first step to fully automated trucking, yeah. Autonomous on the highway, then to a hub where a human takes over the last mile type stuff that requires more skill. Or you could even just have regional hubs that then break it down into smaller trucks for local delivery, reducing the need for full size 53’ trucks in town at all.
You need fewer drivers overall, need almost no long haul drivers since drivers would be local to the area and only handle the in town stuff, and don’t have to worry about seat time limits on the highway.
It would also make going full electric on semis easier.
If you could make self driving reliable you’d have a good point. Currently that tech isn’t good enough, and may never be.
The problem is that ground travel is uncontrolled space, and there is very little room for error.
That’s why I’m focusing on highway travel: it’s the more controlled environment. The fact that car companies are offering hands-free highway driving is evidence of that. Local roads are a much more complex problem, and that’s where a human driver is much more capable.
Yes, if we destroy ourselves some other way before we get there. Otherwise it’s absolutely going to be.
Highway driving is the easiest to get right though. There are plenty of cars out there already that can handle the highway autonomously just fine.
So, like, automated truck driving on the highway, then they pull into a trucking hub for delivery drivers to take over once they reach their destination city? hmmm interesting
That’s generally been considered the first step to fully automated trucking, yeah. Autonomous on the highway, then to a hub where a human takes over the last mile type stuff that requires more skill. Or you could even just have regional hubs that then break it down into smaller trucks for local delivery, reducing the need for full size 53’ trucks in town at all.
You need fewer drivers overall, need almost no long haul drivers since drivers would be local to the area and only handle the in town stuff, and don’t have to worry about seat time limits on the highway.
It would also make going full electric on semis easier.