Zombie Thread Driverless trucks - Page 4

**HemiEd** · 03-20-2025, 07:27 AM

The driverless cars thread is getting pretty large and this information about driverless trucks is very interesting to me.
I know Walmart, from having two retired Walmart driver neighbors, is very interested in this.

"Driverless Trucking Startup Einride May be Planning a $5 Billion US IPO
Truck stops may get really quiet: Autonomous freight company Einride is considering a US listing this year that the Financial Times reports might value the Swedish startup at more than $5 billion.

Einride was the first company to put a self-driving big rig on a public road in 2019. The Swedish company’s biggest market is the US, where it kicked off a partnership with PepsiCo last fall to ship Frito-Lay snacks. Einride’s A-list client roster also includes GE Appliances, Maersk, and Heineken. The company handles routes around the world and is expected to deploy 200 trucks on UAE roads this week.

While robotrucks don’t get as much hype as robotaxis, McKinsey predicts driverless freight may rev up $600 billion in revenue by 2035 as the global shipping industry looks to go green and get a much-needed new labor force.

AI Takes the Wheel
The driverless freight biz leverages AI to learn routes and handle obstacles. A slew of startups is looking to get the edge on the most advanced AI, including driverless truck companies Gatik and Torc, which announced team-ups with Nvidia this week.

The big-rig biz may be less concerned about AI stealing human jobs than other industries. That’s because trucking’s in the midst of a major labor shortage:

The US needs 80,000 more drivers ASAP, according to the American Trucking Association, and that figure is expected to double in five years.
Europe currently needs 200,000 more truckers, McKinsey estimates, and that number will rise to 745,000 in three years.
Driverless trucks could also handle demanding 24/7 conditions and roads that are hazardous to humans. Volvo has sent driverless trucks to mines and quarries, where they have, for instance, carried limestone through dark and narrow tunnels nearly 500 feet underground.

Speed Bumps: AI won’t meet trucking’s labor demand overnight: Driverless trucks can still only operate on designated pre-mapped routes, usually from one hub to another. The industry has to wait for regulators to give their trucks the green light (Europe mostly approves routes on a case-by-case basis, while the US has a patchwork of state-level laws) — not to mention for customers to be less spooked by the sight of an empty big rig barreling toward them.

Written by Jamie Wilde"

**Buehler445** · 03-21-2025, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seamonster

Different use case. Shipping is about transporting at "best price" and keeping just-in-time inventories stocked, not operating recursive predictable farming work (in technology farming is just old hat). Sure you can cut costs by removing all humans but how much can that scale when you're dealing with interstate traffic? I don't think it would. I'd bet that there's always going to be truckers. Fuzzy logic and ML alone isn't something I'd put behind the wheel of an eighteen wheeler on I-70.

I'd predict that this is going to play out like old cattle trains. They're going to have fleets and arrays of these driverless trucks (6,8,18,32) and they're going to slip in a human "driver" to manage and herd these things through the road ways. That would make the insurance companies happy and there's always somebody to scream at and hold liable. You'll probably have a human driver up front looking for road "clutter" (shit that wouldn't be understood by the computer vision) and a guy amongst the pack wrangling the fleet and keeping an eye on alarm rates and relief teams. If they wanted too they could scale this up to some wild numbers and get product flowing without putting the public at risk of getting MaximumOverdrived. Would ruin many a truckers life but I think we're too the point where this is going to become a reality.

My response was specific to Frazods assertion that tight spaces would be tough for automation. Precision of machines is far better than us. I know some of these damn truckers are incredible, but machines are better.

I'd agree with the rest. Lawyers need someone to blame.

Let me be clear - I'm all in favor of turning this shit over to the machines. All of it. My personal driving included. But I don't think the lawyers will let it happen.

Interestingly, Deere's approach to automation (they have a fully automated option for like 2 different tillage implements) is fully image related. So cameras, and then interpreting visual data. That's not what I'd have done, but that's what they're doing.

**HemiEd** · 03-21-2025, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kysirsoze

The big issue is if you get into a wreck, even if you are in no way at fault, they will test you and you are ****ed if they find THC.

Signed,
CDL driver who misses weed

I wondered about that. Is that triggered by previous history or do they test everyone involved in an accident now?

Otter · 03-21-2025, 01:56 PM

Why can't you read a post with out permission?

Frazod · 03-21-2025, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I run Guidance on my tractors and one thing i can assure you is the technology can outperform an operator.

I can run tractor. And that thing can kick my ass.

Fair enough. But my Skynet comment still stands.

**HemiEd** · 03-21-2025, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Otter

Why can't you read a post with out permission?

What?

Graystoke · 03-21-2025, 05:41 PM

Maybe they will stay the **** out of the left lane.

**HemiEd** · 03-21-2025, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graystoke

Maybe they will stay the **** out of the left lane.

No kidding. Last Saturday we were on a 600 mile round trip to Wichita and back. On I-44 we got behind a pair of semis doing about 66 in both lanes forever. It had to be at least 30 miles and I wanted to go postal!

ChiliConCarnage · 05-02-2025, 11:19 PM

Quote:

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) has successfully launched its commercial self-driving trucking service in Texas. Following the closure of its safety case, Aurora began regular driverless customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston this week. To date, the Aurora Driver has completed over 1,200 miles without a driver. The milestone makes Aurora the first company to operate a commercial self-driving service with heavy-duty trucks on public roads. Aurora plans to expand its driverless service to El Paso, Texas and Phoenix, Arizona by the end of 2025.

https://ir.aurora.tech/news-events/p...cking-in-texas

Frazod · Yesterday, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemiEd

No kidding. Last Saturday we were on a 600 mile round trip to Wichita and back. On I-44 we got behind a pair of semis doing about 66 in both lanes forever. It had to be at least 30 miles and I wanted to go postal!

Little doubt they were doing it on purpose, and probably having a good laugh about it on their CBs as well. But at least the speed limits are higher now, so their dickish behavior is about 10 MPH faster than it used to be. I remember all the times doing that long, miserable drive between Chicago and Missouri on I-55 when I'd get stuck behind a convoy of a dozen or so semis in the right lane doing around 54, and one asshole in the left lane passing them doing about 55. They were probably having a good chuckle amongst themselves about it as well.

**HemiEd** · Yesterday, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frazod

Little doubt they were doing it on purpose, and probably having a good laugh about it on their CBs as well. But at least the speed limits are higher now, so their dickish behavior is about 10 MPH faster than it used to be. I remember all the times doing that long, miserable drive between Chicago and Missouri on I-55 when I'd get stuck behind a convoy of a dozen or so semis in the right lane doing around 54, and one asshole in the left lane passing them doing about 55. They were probably having a good chuckle amongst themselves about it as well.

Yeah, that is so frustrating without a doubt. I know some of those trucks have governors on them, but not sure which.

Two of my neighbors down here are retired Walmart drivers and they said their trips were basically programmed into the truck. They didn't have full control of them and what they did was heavily monitored.

Walmart is probably anxious to go driverless on their trucks.

03-20-2025, 07:27 AM
HemiEd Supporter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ozarks Casino cash: $-309436	Driverless trucks The driverless cars thread is getting pretty large and this information about driverless trucks is very interesting to me. I know Walmart, from having two retired Walmart driver neighbors, is very interested in this. "Driverless Trucking Startup Einride May be Planning a $5 Billion US IPO Truck stops may get really quiet: Autonomous freight company Einride is considering a US listing this year that the Financial Times reports might value the Swedish startup at more than $5 billion. Einride was the first company to put a self-driving big rig on a public road in 2019. The Swedish company’s biggest market is the US, where it kicked off a partnership with PepsiCo last fall to ship Frito-Lay snacks. Einride’s A-list client roster also includes GE Appliances, Maersk, and Heineken. The company handles routes around the world and is expected to deploy 200 trucks on UAE roads this week. While robotrucks don’t get as much hype as robotaxis, McKinsey predicts driverless freight may rev up $600 billion in revenue by 2035 as the global shipping industry looks to go green and get a much-needed new labor force. AI Takes the Wheel The driverless freight biz leverages AI to learn routes and handle obstacles. A slew of startups is looking to get the edge on the most advanced AI, including driverless truck companies Gatik and Torc, which announced team-ups with Nvidia this week. The big-rig biz may be less concerned about AI stealing human jobs than other industries. That’s because trucking’s in the midst of a major labor shortage: The US needs 80,000 more drivers ASAP, according to the American Trucking Association, and that figure is expected to double in five years. Europe currently needs 200,000 more truckers, McKinsey estimates, and that number will rise to 745,000 in three years. Driverless trucks could also handle demanding 24/7 conditions and roads that are hazardous to humans. Volvo has sent driverless trucks to mines and quarries, where they have, for instance, carried limestone through dark and narrow tunnels nearly 500 feet underground. Speed Bumps: AI won’t meet trucking’s labor demand overnight: Driverless trucks can still only operate on designated pre-mapped routes, usually from one hub to another. The industry has to wait for regulators to give their trucks the green light (Europe mostly approves routes on a case-by-case basis, while the US has a patchwork of state-level laws) — not to mention for customers to be less spooked by the sight of an empty big rig barreling toward them. Written by Jamie Wilde"
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03-21-2025, 05:41 PM	#51
Graystoke MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Driftless Region Casino cash: $-2440000	Maybe they will stay the **** out of the left lane.
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