1.8 Million Truckers Could Lose Their Jobs To Robots?? Really??

Topic 15634 | Page 1

Page 1 of 2 Next Page Go To Page:
Serah D.'s Comment
member avatar

http://www.vox.com/2016/8/3/12342764/autonomous-trucks-employment

Tractor Man's Comment
member avatar

Not in my lifetime, or yours for that matter. I'm 56, i assume that you are younger than me!

smile.gif

Gladhand's Comment
member avatar

I think this subject needs to be taboo just like being an o/o. I doubt this will ever happen. Cruise control will get way better but we need to be in control when in cities. I think it is time to let this discussion go to, it is fought about too much.

G-Town's Comment
member avatar

http://www.vox.com/2016/8/3/12342764/autonomous-trucks-employment

This is a propaganda/self promoting, wishful thinking article written and sponsored by VOX. VOX is at the forefront of this technology...and stand to make huge financial gains if and when this technology is accepted and validated. Take it with a grain of salt.

Maurice R.'s Comment
member avatar

If airplanes still need pilots then trucks will always need drivers.. Airplanes have amazing auto pilot capabilities but they can't land themselves lol 😂 same with trucks. Trucking as a whole would have to be revamped to accommodate these trucks. Imo!

Rick S.'s Comment
member avatar

May happen - in the distant future.

Bigger worry, if amnesty goes thru - is losing jobs to folks that will "all of a sudden" become documented and legal to drive and obtain CDL's.

Just sayin'.

Rick

CDL:

Commercial Driver's License (CDL)

A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:

  • Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
  • Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
  • Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

This autonomous truck thing is just completely out of the question. I mean, wait until the very first one kills someone and watch the public reaction.

But seriously, we're not even close to making something like this safe and reliable and the highways get more crowded and dangerous by the day. It was just a week or two ago that a Tesla car slammed into the broad side of a truck, killing the driver of the car. That car had collision avoidance technology which was supposed to hit the brakes if a collision was imminent. The collision avoidance system apparently didn't see the broad side of the truck because the white truck blended with the bright sky.

So if collision avoidance can't detect the broad side of a big rig reliably then let's get serious about this kinda stuff. It ain't happenin anytime soon. In fact, look back throughout American history and you'll see that robots and flying cars and virtual reality were supposed to be running the world decades ago. We can't even detect the broad side of a truck reliably in 2016. Get serious.

My favorite "great idea" from that article talks about having trucks "platooning" each other to save fuel. They're going to run nose to tail down the highway tailgating each other to make the convoy more aerodynamic. They're going to communicate with radar, GPS, and wifi so all of the trucks know what the others are doing. Yeah, sounds perfect because those technologies always work reliably, right? So you put 10 or 20 trucks nose to tail in the hopes of saving a little bit of fuel but with the consequences being the biggest mass-casualty wreck you've ever seen. Great idea college kid. Ever hear of something called "risk/reward ratio"? Evidently not.

omg......none of this is gonna fly. It's all a ton of fun for scientists to experiment with and marketers to create infographics about but it's not going to see the light of day in our lifetimes without purpose-built roads and vehicles specially designed for it.

And by the way, the first truck I ever drove in '93 had the same collision avoidance garbage that many trucks still have today, the type that beeps when it detects you're approaching something too closely. It used to go off a thousand times a day whenever you'd get near a bridge or a guardrail or anything else solid nearby. The same systems still do the same things today except now they're even more dangerous because they're kicking off the cruise control and even hitting the brakes without warning. Unbelievable.

Here's one last fun tidbit from that article - look at the list of things this system can't do. Gee, are those the only limitations??? Wow! LoL!

daimler-autonomous-truck.jpg

Now look at the list of things it can do, like "start a countdown when a driver needs to take the wheel":

"Danger! Danger! You're going to hit a bridge in 3....2....1....."

rofl-3.gif

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Matt H.'s Comment
member avatar

If airplanes still need pilots then trucks will always need drivers.. Airplanes have amazing auto pilot capabilities but they can't land themselves lol 😂 same with trucks. Trucking as a whole would have to be revamped to accommodate these trucks. Imo!

I was discussing this with someone at my school just recently. I used airplanes as my example. Though, some airplanes can land themselves at specific airports. They have had this tech for quite some time. They haven't rolled it out for widespread use, and even the planes that have been able to takeoff, fly to their destination, and land all on their own for quite some time now still are required to have pilots.

We are a long way off from the tech and infrastructure being ready to replace drivers, and an even longer way off from the general public being willing to accept it. Planes will be a big milestone in automated transportation but they are still considerably easier to automate the operation of than trucks because there are a lot less variables up in the air.

Tractor Man's Comment
member avatar

Danger! Danger! You're going to hit a bridge in 3....2....1....."

rofl-3.gif

ROFL, Brett!

rofl-1.gif

Trucker Kearsey 's Comment
member avatar

The post office paid $1 million each for robots that were supposed to load trucks and replace fork lift drivers. The things were too tall for the building and didn't work in most. The ones where they did work eliminated 15 jobs for forklifts but added 25 jobs as mechanic to work in them... then they added the drivers back due to the downtime. Translation : nothing ever works thw way planners think it will.

Page 1 of 2 Next Page Go To Page:

New Reply:

New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features

Bold
Italic
Underline
Quote
Photo
Link
Smiley
Links On TruckingTruth


example: TruckingTruth Homepage



example: https://www.truckingtruth.com
Submit
Cancel
Upload New Photo
Please enter a caption of one sentence or less:

Click on any of the buttons below to insert a link to that section of TruckingTruth:

Getting Started In Trucking High Road Training Program Company-Sponsored Training Programs Apply For Company-Sponsored Training Truck Driver's Career Guide Choosing A School Choosing A Company Truck Driving Schools Truck Driving Jobs Apply For Truck Driving Jobs DOT Physical Drug Testing Items To Pack Pre-Hire Letters CDL Practice Tests Trucking Company Reviews Brett's Book Leasing A Truck Pre-Trip Inspection Learn The Logbook Rules Sleep Apnea
Done
Done

0 characters so far - 5,500 maximum allowed.
Submit Preview

Preview:

Submit
Cancel

Why Join Trucking Truth?

We have an awesome set of tools that will help you understand the trucking industry and prepare for a great start to your trucking career. Not only that, but everything we offer here at TruckingTruth is 100% free - no strings attached! Sign up now and get instant access to our member's section:
High Road Training Program Logo
  • The High Road Training Program
  • The High Road Article Series
  • The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
  • Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted

Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth

Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:

Apply For Paid CDL Training