ODOT Autonomous Vehicle Testing Includes Smart Corridor Truck Applications

December 20, 2017, 1:22 pm

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U.S. Route 33 will likely host truck platooning exercises in the future as research at Ohio’s Smart Mobility Corridor continues, according to James Barna, chief engineer and assistant director of transportation policy for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

U.S. 33 runs diagonally southeast-northwest through the center of Ohio, passing through downtown Columbus; the Smart Mobility Corridor is a 35-mile stretch of the road that ODOT uses for testing connected vehicle technology.

Ohio Department of Transportation

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Companies Race to Create Sensors for Self-Driving Vehicles

December 27, 2017, 11:27 am

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To drive a car, you need to see the world around you. But computers are blind, so autonomous cars must rely on other ways to perceive their surroundings. Lidar sensors, a laser form of radar, have emerged as a powerful way for robot cars to navigate.

Michael Short/ Bloomberg News

Passenger Cars Could Point Path to Automated Steering in Trucks

January 2, 2018, 7:55 am

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The passenger car market serves as an example of the kinds of automated steering systems truck makers will likely offer in the future.

Already, Nissan, Honda, General Motors, Audi AG and other carmakers offer forms of assisted steering. Among the most advanced features available in cars, Cadillac’s Super Cruise lets drivers take their hands off the steering wheel as the car pilots itself during limited stretches of highways in the United States.

Audi

Interstates Serve Important Role in Autonomous Truck Testing, Experts Say

January 8, 2018, 11:02 am

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WASHINGTON— Long stretches of interstate will be important proving grounds as autonomous truck technology develops, according to industry experts.

Peter Welch, president of the National Automobile Dealers Association, said that early deployment of connected trucks probably will occur on geofenced spans of interstate, as these flat, relatively straight areas will provide a safer alternative than more arterial routes that frequently have more stop-and-go traffic.

ATA's Bill Sullivan on Infrastructure, Autonomous, F4A

January 18, 2018, 9:34 am

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Autonomous Trucks to Haul Cargo in Arizona

January 18, 2018, 5:07 pm

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An autonomous-driving technology firm plans this year to begin commercial-hauling operations in Arizona using Class 8 trucks that will require nearly no driver control of the vehicle.

Beijing- and San Diego-based tuSimple has a supplier committed to the project, which will run trucks the 120 miles from Tucson to Phoenix, Partner and Vice President of Product Chuck Price told Transport Topics. He declined to identify the supplier.

tuSimple

New Vehicles Tackle Challenges of Urban E-Commerce

January 23, 2018, 1:47 pm

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Two entrepreneurs are introducing an autonomous vehicle and electric cargo bike designed to reduce the costs arising from the last-mile delivery and returns of e-commerce merchandise in urban areas.

Burlingame, Calif.-based Udelv is launching this month an autonomous, electric-powered cargo vehicle designed for short deliveries and pickups.

Udelv

Autonomous Technology Not Impacting Trucking Jobs in Short Term, Gov. Rick Snyder Says

January 25, 2018, 12:29 pm

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WASHINGTON — The adoption of advanced autonomous and connected vehicle applications will not disrupt the employment landscape for commercial drivers in the next few years, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) told automotive executives Jan. 25.

Commercial and passenger vehicle manufacturers are testing technology aimed at improving safety and efficiency and are enhancing vehicles’ capabilities to operate autonomously. Lawmakers and freight executives insist employment disruptions will not occur anytime soon.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder by Eugene Mulero/Transport Topics

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How Autonomous Trucks Could Lead to More Driving Jobs, Not Fewer

February 1, 2018, 11:29 am

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Self-driving truck developer Uber Technologies Inc. predicts that transfer hubs for longhaul autonomous trucks will increase demand for local drivers, countering perceptions that automation will lead to widespread job losses in trucking.

Uber blog post

Technology of Tomorrow to Be Key Topic at TMC Annual Meeting

February 9, 2018, 10:44 am

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Future advancements in the trucking industry will be at the forefront of the Technology & Maintenance Council’s 2018 Annual Meeting and Transportation Technology Exhibition set for early next month.

This year’s meeting, scheduled for March 5-8, will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

A view of the exhibit floor during TMC 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. This year's annual meeting will be in Atlanta. (John Sommers II for Transport Topics)

ATA Chairman Dave Manning Discusses Autonomous, Electric Trucks

February 13, 2018, 7:54 am

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Two fleet executives doubt fully autonomous or electric trucks will revolutionize the longhaul truckload industry in the near future, foreseeing instead a gradual evolution for these technologies.

Newell (left), Manning and Mullings (Ari Ashe/Transport Topics)

Glitches or Not, Nissan Starts Testing Semi-Autonomous Rides

February 23, 2018, 6:58 am

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YOKOHAMA, Japan — In the future Nissan envisions, driverless cars will pick up children from school and recommend restaurants to tourists in various languages.

Nissan Motor Co. says feedback from people who try it will be used to fine-tune its “robo-vehicle mobility service.”

The automaker said Friday that 300 people have already signed up to try out Easy Ride in March. The Japanese automaker hopes to roll it out as a commercial service in the early 2020s. Details, including pricing, are undecided.

Shizuo Kambayashi/Associated Press

Spear: Trucking to Play Key Role in Autonomous Policy

March 5, 2018, 5:59 pm

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ATLANTA — New federal guidance on automated cars and trucks to be unveiled this year will include the input from the trucking industry, American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear said at the Technology & Maintenance Council annual meeting March 5.

Spear by John Sommers II for Transport Topics

TMC Explores Deployment of Automated Trucks

March 8, 2018, 6:56 am

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ATLANTA — Industry experts explored a variety of approaches for developing and deploying autonomous trucks and examined the evolving regulatory framework for this technology here at the annual meeting of the Technology & Maintenance Council.

Waymo Autonomous Trucks Haul Freight in Atlanta

March 14, 2018, 7:16 am

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It’s getting to be a traffic jam.

Alphabet Inc.’s autonomous vehicle division Waymo began this month operating an autonomous freight truck in the Atlanta area, carrying server equipment, racks and related material to Google data centers.

Waymo’s project joins competitors Uber Freight, TuSimple and Embark in developing autonomous technology for the freight hauling industry.

Waymo said it will be operating Class 8 Peterbilt trucks on Atlanta-area freeways and local roads with a test driver in the cab at all times.

Waymo

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Trump Infrastructure Proposal Could Fund Self-Driving Truck Lanes, DOT Official Says

March 20, 2018, 10:17 am

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Projects aimed at building dedicated lanes for self-driving trucks would qualify for funds under President Donald Trump’s infrastructure proposal unveiled last month, a top federal transportation official said March 16.

U.S. Department of Transportation Undersecretary for Policy Derek Kan emphasized that states could finance freight infrastructure designed to facilitate the movement of self-driving trucks under the proposal’s “transformative” and “incentives” titles.

Embark

Autonomous Vehicle Policy Legislation Awaits Senate Action

April 5, 2018, 10:10 am

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Legislation meant to facilitate the development of self-driving cars awaiting floor consideration in the Senate is among the measures on the chamber’s docket when senators return to Capitol Hill April 9 from the Easter recess.

Congressional aides told Transport Topics there are no updates on when the bill will be debated on the floor.

Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg News

Peter Thiel-Backed Autonomous Car Supplier Slashing Costs, Scaling Up

April 13, 2018, 10:18 am

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Luminar Technologies Inc., the sensor startup backed by billionaire Peter Thiel, is rolling out a cheaper-to-make version of its laser technology and ramping up production to supply the key component for autonomous vehicles.

The startup released a new sensor platform April 12 that reduces the cost of its most expensive part from tens of thousands of dollars to $3. This will make Luminar’s light detection and ranging devices, or lidar, viable for vehicles sold to consumers, once produced in high volumes, according to CEO Austin Russell.

Luminar lidar by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

Safety, Insurance Costs Cited in Study as Reasons to Consider Autonomous Vehicles

June 6, 2018, 11:04 am

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As autonomous vehicles become more commonplace on our highways and roads, drivers of both trucks and passenger cars are likely to become more accepting of the technology, a survey of U.S. consumers by the market research firm J.D. Power found.

Among respondents, 22% said they are likely to consider a “highly automated” vehicle for their next purchase, whether it be a truck or a personal vehicle. J.D. Power said it found that the results from this particular survey are applicable to trucks and private passenger vehicles.

(Ohio Department of Transportation)

The Future Is Autonomous, Not Jobless

June 8, 2018, 6:11 am

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If autonomous vehicles are the future of the trucking industry, what is the future of the truck driver? On the surface, it might appear to some casual observers that automation could soon spell the end of the truck driving profession, but that perception quickly falls apart when examining the current limitations of the technology and the stark realities of trucking’s labor needs.

Clevenger

Technology firms such as Embark aim to deploy unmanned trucks on freeways, but those trucks will need to work together with piloted trucks to move freight from origin to destination. (Embark)