Zombie Thread Driverless trucks

**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"

scho63 · 03-20-2025, 07:41 AM

I am involved in this industry peripherally but all our clients/prospects are looking at this in some capacity.

One of my deal partners is all in on this tech with companies ike Kodiak, Gatik and Aurora after spending 32 years at one of the worlds largest trucking companies as an IT Director.

Lots of interesting tech including driverless yard jockeys to move trailers around, and automatic hookup devices to hook trailer to tractor without driver getting out of cab. Saw this technology while working trade show.

**notorious** · 03-20-2025, 08:04 AM

Maybe the computer will have minimum sense to not drive in 80mph wind.

**Buehler445** · 03-20-2025, 08:04 AM

To me it still comes down to liability. If there is no driver, collision avoidance falls to the manufacturer and ain't nobody got the stones to eat that.

**Buehler445** · 03-20-2025, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Maybe the computer will have minimum sense to not drive in 80mph wind.

Yeah, it probably will. It will probably stop in the middle of the road and flash "minimum safety standards not met" and not be able to move, blocking the highway.

**wazu** · 03-20-2025, 08:19 AM

A side note: The massive trucker shortage would no doubt be greatly helped by removing the absurd nation-wide requirement for CDL holders to abstain from marijuana use, even when not at work. It's a non-starter for a giant part of the population. Career-long truck drivers keep aging out, and young people would rather do just about any other job that doesn't have this stupid requirement.

Rainbarrel · 03-20-2025, 08:21 AM

Robot sex workers would have a place to hangout

**DaFace** · 03-20-2025, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buehler445

To me it still comes down to liability. If there is no driver, collision avoidance falls to the manufacturer and ain't nobody got the stones to eat that.

Eh, saving $75k per year on every driver's salary would let you buy a hell of an insurance policy. That seems like a problem that's far easier to solve than the self-driving tech itself.

**LoneWolf** · 03-20-2025, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Eh, saving $75k per year on every driver's salary would let you buy a hell of an insurance policy. That seems like a problem that's far easier to solve than the self-driving tech itself.

Not to mention the efficiency gains from the trucks not having to stop every so many hours to allow the drivers to sleep.

**wazu** · 03-20-2025, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

Eh, saving $75k per year on every driver's salary would let you buy a hell of an insurance policy. That seems like a problem that's far easier to solve than the self-driving tech itself.

Right. And somebody is already paying insurance for drivers that will crash far, far more than robot trucks will.

**ChiTown** · 03-20-2025, 08:41 AM

I’m all for it. Driver shortage is a huge problem in my business. Even if you can find drivers, it’s hard to find the ones that aren’t on drugs.

**ChiTown** · 03-20-2025, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

Not to mention the efficiency gains from the trucks not having to stop every so many hours to allow the drivers to sleep.

Yep, drivers have to log their hours and the can only drive so many during the course of the week. I’ve had many a freight company cancel on me because their drivers had too many logged hours for the week.

Zebedee DuBois · 03-20-2025, 08:53 AM

I'm just guessing here, but it seems to me that the 'over the road' part of driverless trucks would be the easiest part to tackle - but the delivery - backing into a dock after negotiating the parking lot seems like the hard part. A lot of delivery points can be a tricky, requiring a skilled driver to get into. I can imagine a robot truck locking up in some situations.

**DaFace** · 03-20-2025, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois

I'm just guessing here, but it seems to me that the 'over the road' part of driverless trucks would be the easiest part to tackle - but the delivery - backing into a dock after negotiating the parking lot seems like the hard part. A lot of delivery points can be a tricky, requiring a skilled driver to get into. I can imagine a robot truck locking up in some situations.

My GUESS is that could be solved - the Tesla tech can parallel park a car for example. But if that does prove to be a problem, I could see a scenario where the trucks only auto drive to get to the general location and then a hostler at the origin or destination takes care of getting it to the exact spot.

**ChiTown** · 03-20-2025, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaFace

My GUESS is that could be solved - the Tesla tech can parallel park a car for example. But if that does prove to be a problem, I could see a scenario where the trucks only auto drive to get to the general location and then a hostler at the origin or destination takes care of getting it to the exact spot.

Yeah, that’s a pretty simple fix.

03-20-2025, 07:27 AM
HemiEd Supporter Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ozarks Casino cash: $-579436	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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03-20-2025, 07:41 AM	#2
scho63 Politically Incorrect Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Casino cash: $-1010000	I am involved in this industry peripherally but all our clients/prospects are looking at this in some capacity. One of my deal partners is all in on this tech with companies ike Kodiak, Gatik and Aurora after spending 32 years at one of the worlds largest trucking companies as an IT Director. Lots of interesting tech including driverless yard jockeys to move trailers around, and automatic hookup devices to hook trailer to tractor without driver getting out of cab. Saw this technology while working trade show. __________________ *"The only difference between sex for free and sex for money is that sex for free costs you a WHOLE LOT more!"* ~Redd Foxx~ ~~2018 2019 2020 20212022 2023 2024~~ 2025 Adopt a Chief - Clark Hunt and Brett Veach "The men who drafted Patrick Mahomes"
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03-20-2025, 08:04 AM	#3
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $-1044116	Maybe the computer will have minimum sense to not drive in 80mph wind.
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03-20-2025, 08:04 AM	#4
Buehler445 Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Scott City KS Casino cash: $-1665266	To me it still comes down to liability. If there is no driver, collision avoidance falls to the manufacturer and ain't nobody got the stones to eat that.
Posts: 60,039	3 0

03-20-2025, 08:19 AM	#6
wazu ... Join Date: May 2002 Location: Kansas City, MO Casino cash: $-1767705 VARSITY	A side note: The massive trucker shortage would no doubt be greatly helped by removing the absurd nation-wide requirement for CDL holders to abstain from marijuana use, even when not at work. It's a non-starter for a giant part of the population. Career-long truck drivers keep aging out, and young people would rather do just about any other job that doesn't have this stupid requirement.
Posts: 30,920	4 1

03-20-2025, 08:21 AM	#7
Rainbarrel MVP Join Date: Mar 2021 Casino cash: $-889600	Robot sex workers would have a place to hangout
Posts: 10,511	1 0

03-20-2025, 08:41 AM	#11
ChiTown Stroking to the SB Champs! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Flatlands of Kansas Casino cash: $-601038	I’m all for it. Driver shortage is a huge problem in my business. Even if you can find drivers, it’s hard to find the ones that aren’t on drugs. __________________
Posts: 40,929	3 0

03-20-2025, 08:53 AM	#13
Zebedee DuBois Veteran Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: floating in a tin can Casino cash: $-1924801	I'm just guessing here, but it seems to me that the 'over the road' part of driverless trucks would be the easiest part to tackle - but the delivery - backing into a dock after negotiating the parking lot seems like the hard part. A lot of delivery points can be a tricky, requiring a skilled driver to get into. I can imagine a robot truck locking up in some situations. __________________ What am I even doing here?
Posts: 3,935	1 0