Daimler, Volvo testing driverless technology to transform trucking industry

[Wretched]

Trucks could be one of the first beneficiaries of driverless technology which has the potential to dramatically increase safety but could also cost thousands of jobs.

While the first driverless vehicle is not expected to the hit the roads for at least another five years, speculation is rife that the multi-billion dollar trucking industry will get on board in a bid to increase deliveries and slash costs.

Several companies across the world, including Daimler and Volvo, are already working on prototypes, with Daimler's autonomous 18-wheeler "Inspiration Truck" already being tested on the open road in Nevada.

In Australia, the technology is already being successfully used in the mining industry. Rio Tinto owns and operates the world's largest collection of autonomous haulage system trucks, which are in operation at its Pilbara mines, in Western Australia.
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"Implementing autonomous haulage means more material can be moved efficiently and safely, creating a direct increase in productivity," the company said.

The federal government's Job Outlook reports that there are 189,300 truck drivers employed across the country. On top of this are mechanics, motel, and country town services that support drivers.

The Australian Trucking Association did not comment on the potential impact of the technology on jobs, but said that most advanced features under development, such as adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking and self-steering added to lane departure warning, will assist with fatigue management.

About half a dozen companies are in competition to produce the first driverless car; Ford announced in June it plans to have its first model on the road within five years, while Google is aiming to be in production by 2020.

Safety remains a significant issue for the trucking industry, with a Safe Work Australia report released in May last year revealing that between 2003 to 2012, about 80 truck drivers died every year, with 39 per cent perishing in single vehicle crashes.

Safe Work Australia chairwoman Ann Sherry said the reasons for most crashes is still unknown, although some do involved fatigue, speeding and lack of concentration.

A Safe Work Australia spokeswoman told Fairfax Media added that high use of drugs by long-distance drivers also contributed to deaths and serious injuries.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/da...#ixzz3jdJEX2Lp

Coupled with a decent rail freight system in AU this could be interesting.
Not against the idea that's for sure.

[Elks]

I read an article, that driverless trucking if it were to be adopted just for long haul routes would put in excess of 3 million people out of work.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Coupled with a decent rail freight system

Ah, they could have a problem there

[Bluehoon]

It's still a long, long way off mainstream.
I can see it working for linehaul. Local, not easily.

[Ben73]

One day everything will be autonomous. Companies will be making mega profits, everyone else not so much.

[mik]

like all the star trek stuff it sounds good talking about, but don't be surprised if its decades away before they even get close.

[Crazy Dazz]

And what do you do when the truck gets a flat tire half way across the Nullarbor?

Why don't they put their efforts into developing stuff we actually NEED, instead of just putting the lowest paid workers out of a job?
I am ******* sick of the way "cost cutting" always targets those at the bottom of the ****pile, while the bloke at the top pockets another $XM "bonus."

Maybe they should work on developing robot politicians that we don't need to pay, don't rort their travel allowances, and don't get caught banging hookers.

[FalconXV]

This could go two ways- truck diving jobs could become obsolete entirely in the greedy quest for profit, or the union or whatever could negotiate to have this technology ease the burden on existing drivers, who are forced to take drugs to meet unrealistic deadlines- resulting in fatalities.
I hope it's the latter, too many times have I been tailgated by a munted truckie, even following me into the right hand lane in some cases...

[cheap]

My team set up driverless trucks for one of BHP's mines. It is a very complex, localised and specialised technology. Safety is paramount on a mine site and it isn't simply possible to pick up that technology and apply it to the open roads. As an example, an animal walking in front of a mine truck has the potential to trigger sensors which stops all the mine trucks where they are. The mine technology requires extremely accurate telemetry, run of the mill GPS doesn't have the accuracy required. Imagine the consequences of a full laden truck being 2 metres out of its lane.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

And what do you do when the truck gets a flat tire half way across the Nullarbor?

Why don't they put their efforts into developing stuff we actually NEED, instead of just putting the lowest paid workers out of a job?
I am ******* sick of the way "cost cutting" always targets those at the bottom of the ****pile, while the bloke at the top pockets another $XM "bonus."

Maybe they should work on developing robot politicians that we don't need to pay, don't rort their travel allowances, and don't get caught banging hookers.

Woah, settle there...
It's the manufacturers designing the technology. Whether companies pick it up is their own decision.
Autonomous driving is being developed for cars and trucks it may or may not put a few people out of work but then so has other technologies along the way.
From your perspective it may be deemed an unnecessary technology but from a number of others it may be critical. Truck drivers are always on about being over worked and subsequently putting their lives and those they share the road with at risk. This technology could limit that, the driver could remain on board as a fail back but doesn't need to be driving all the time. Imagine a week of driving that the driver only has to do 2 days of?

How many of these people you claim are going to be out of work are actually owner drivers? I'd say they'd be the ones picking up the $$. Farmers too, the long haul of carrying stock around.
It won't throw people out of work, it'll just change how people do their job.

[Gothefalcon]

Originally Posted by Ben73

One day everything will be autonomous. Companies will be making mega profits, everyone else not so much.

Something wrong with the "Big picture" in all of this... The "Companies" that look to make big profits by putting more people out of work, will still need to sell their goods.... but how will they do that, when the very people that have been put out of work, won't have the money to buy anything from them !??

Then "Govco" will have to support all these out of work people with tax payer monies... but with a lot more people out of work, there is a lot less tax being paid... so they'll have no choice but to charge the "companies" more tax, to be able to pay the dole to the masses out of work. (thus resulting in less profits)

To counter this... the "companies" will have to push up the prices of their goods... leaving those who still have jobs to pay more.. and afford less... which means sales will go down.... and profits will again go down !

All this will mean is that the gap between the "haves" and "have nots" will eventually grow to significant levels... that we will find ourselves spiralling back into a similar situation to the way the world was centuries ago !

Whilst technology like this is truly amazing stuff... and there is, no doubt, extremely clever people working on it... the economic model which most 1st world economies have thrived on to date, will have to drastically change... if these "new world" technologies are going to truly benefit us all !

Just my view.... but food for thought !??

D

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

and don't get caught banging hookers.

The banging hookers part isn't the problem, just don't pay for it using your company credit card.

[mik]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Woah, settle there...
It's the manufacturers designing the technology. Whether companies pick it up is their own decision.
Autonomous driving is being developed for cars and trucks it may or may not put a few people out of work but then so has other technologies along the way.
From your perspective it may be deemed an unnecessary technology but from a number of others it may be critical. Truck drivers are always on about being over worked and subsequently putting their lives and those they share the road with at risk. This technology could limit that, the driver could remain on board as a fail back but doesn't need to be driving all the time. Imagine a week of driving that the driver only has to do 2 days of?

How many of these people you claim are going to be out of work are actually owner drivers? I'd say they'd be the ones picking up the $$. Farmers too, the long haul of carrying stock around.
It won't throw people out of work, it'll just change how people do their job.

The problem is trucking is more than just sitting behind the wheel eating donuts in the lap of luxury in your euro suspended cab while listening to slim dusty, the job goes way beyond that ,
only the general public that have no clue about trucking probably think a driverless truck will be easy to do.
the learning curve for a truck driver stepping out of a learners truck and picking up his licence from the office is a long way from a bloke (or a machine) you would like to hand over your xxx,000 dollar or more investment + freight for a run up the highway .
freight is just a mine field of potential problems .

just for a bit of comic relief, a relative up for a visit one weekend once told me "you shouldn't be tired, all you do is sit on a chair and drive " .

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by mik

The problem is trucking is more than just sitting behind the wheel eating donuts in the lap of luxury in your euro suspended cab while listening to slim dusty, the job goes way beyond that ,
only the general public that have no clue about trucking probably think a driverless truck will be easy to do.
the learning curve for a truck driver stepping out of a learners truck and picking up his licence from the office is a long way from a bloke (or a machine) you would like to hand over your xxx,000 dollar or more investment + freight for a run up the highway .
freight is just a mine field of potential problems .

just for a bit of comic relief, a relative up for a visit one weekend once told me "you shouldn't be tired, all you do is sit on a chair and drive " .

I do know of the other responsibilities of the truck driver. My father was one for 30 years delivery freight all over Vic and interstate. I even went with him a few times. It isn't easy work that's for sure. Just driving the big rigs is a challenge in itself.

[RANGEREST]

Originally Posted by Elks

I read an article, that driverless trucking if it were to be adopted just for long haul routes would put in excess of 3 million people out of work.

http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/9309.0
Dont believe everything you read, there is 567299 trucks on the road in Australia and I'm fairly confident they don't all have 6 drivers, there's 94975 articulated trucks and not many would be on routes capable of using driverless technology.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

And what do you do when the truck gets a flat tire half way across the Nullarbor?

Why don't they put their efforts into developing stuff we actually NEED, instead of just putting the lowest paid workers out of a job?
I am ******* sick of the way "cost cutting" always targets those at the bottom of the ****pile, while the bloke at the top pockets another $XM "bonus."

Maybe they should work on developing robot politicians that we don't need to pay, don't rort their travel allowances, and don't get caught banging hookers.

I wonder what happened to all the secretaries that use to be in the typing pool.

Maybe we should bring back the old typewriter.

[aussie muscle]

yeah. while sad that drivers may be out of work, it seems like it would quickly pay for itself if the truck doesn't have to stop any longer than loading/unloading.

[mik]

if they really wanted to do something better, they would be better off making some sort of container transport system for interstate transport , that works on maglev , they could start off slow and wind them up to 500 kph or maybe faster, they should be looking to a super fast freight system for a country the size of oz.
they would still need trucks and drivers for distribution., and types of freight not suitable for container.
as it is its hard to see the truck driver being done away with , with one operator , they get driver, mechanic, storeman, clerk, liason officer, problem solver, labourer, cleaner, whipping boy, and all for bargain wages.

[CyberWasp]

Welcome to the future.
It will not only be Truck Drivers that will be replaced in the near future.
Bus, Ferry, Train, Taxi, Courier, Tram, and Aircraft Drivers/Pilots are all in line to be replaced. Machines will do it better.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by mik

if they really wanted to do something better, they would be better off making some sort of container transport system for interstate transport , that works on maglev , they could start off slow and wind them up to 500 kph or maybe faster, they should be looking to a super fast freight system for a country the size of oz.
.

Agreed, and what I was trying to get at with a better rail system, Maglev would be better (but hey we're in Australia and that means a lack of innovation and foresight), we're in the unique situation of having such a vast amount of space to cover by one country, unlike Europe. Setting up a Maglev (or an equivalent rail network) would greatly benefit everyone, faster delivery and of course safer, potentially (unlikely) cheaper too.
Truck drivers would be required to drop off the cargo locally.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Wretched

Agreed, and what I was trying to get at with a better rail system, Maglev would be better (but hey we're in Australia and that means a lack of innovation and foresight), we're in the unique situation of having such a vast amount of space to cover by one country, unlike Europe. Setting up a Maglev (or an equivalent rail network) would greatly benefit everyone, faster delivery and of course safer, potentially (unlikely) cheaper too.
Truck drivers would be required to drop off the cargo locally.

Fixing up the rail system would more then likely cover a vast majority of the population. With a small percentage that still require trucks to bring them in (as you said were not like Europe).
The problem is without foreign investment you will never see it happen as its very expensive. The goods don't need to get there fast as a train will deliver huge amounts. We just need to get goods there efficiently. But this not only requires a good rail network but a better ports network. This buggered system is costing us large amounts (just in export dollars) in revenue.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

Welcome to the future.
It will not only be Truck Drivers that will be replaced in the near future.
Bus, Ferry, Train, Taxi, Courier, Tram, and Aircraft Drivers/Pilots are all in line to be replaced. Machines will do it better.

studies are indicating just that and not just manual labour jobs
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ears-time.html

JP