Should truck drivers be worried

a reply to: JAGStorm

I'm actually all for self driving trucks. I read that it will save thousands of lives.

It will supposedly save thousands of lives(dubious claim) and in turn hurt/destroy up to 3.5 million truck drivers lives.

No..don't like it, this automation stuff is going to hurt a lot of people..putting it very mildly.

originally posted by: Edumakated

originally posted by: Joefoster
a reply to: JAGStorm

Yes, truck drivers should be worried, consumers should cheer, with the reduction in shipping costs via autonomous vehicles will be a direct cost savings that could be passed onto the consumer.

Yeah, consumers love saving that 50 cents until it is their job that is being eliminated to lower costs... it is a vicious circle.

Besides which, they are not going to pass on any savings anyway.

a reply to: xuenchen

Actually, that would be relatively straight forward to figure out the automation for.

Having someone wreck in front of the truck on an icy road, on the other hand, not so much. The permutations are endless.

Ha! Technology is a great thing, just watched a report about how 100+ cars got stuck in a muddy field in colorado after drivers followed Google maps detour.

a reply to: ausername

Thats what happens when you let technology run your life/think for you..sometimes..lol

a reply to: Edumakated

Believe it or not, I actually agree with you on most of those points (not all, but most). I don't agree on the technology front though.

A while back I made a post about 'where does it end?'. I don't remember the exact title, but it was along the automation theme. There are so many other factors to consider (i.e. quality, quality of life, population, demographics, import/exports, etc) which play a role. Here the subject is automation in the truck driver world.

I'd love to debate this further, but unfortunately I have to run. Maybe more later.

ETA - you win for now.

originally posted by: rickymouse
Automation will take all of the jobs. How are people going to buy anything if nobody is working? Automation will collapse our economy, people need money to spend it. Businesses need people to buy their products or services to profit, if people have no money the businesses will go out of business. We are on the wrong path. Just think of the economic impact of losing truckdrivers will be, how many restaurants and motels will become unprofitable?

I do not think I would want to be driving on a road with a self driving semi on it during a very strong wind condition weather event, or on a highway that is slush covered or icy, the ability to reason in a skid is important, how many experienced truck drivers avoided accidents by having experience in handling the rigs.

You do realize that is the goal of agenda 21/30 right? Kill all the outlying businesses and communities/towns, recover all as greenspace and force everyone into authorized city centres. Another 20 years, we peons won't be able to own cottages, go camping, visit national parks, go hunting or fishing, live in a rural town, etc.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: chiefsmom

Very expensive, maintenance and repair. In college I worked for Uhaul and they did not make any profit on the truck rentals. They made money on their 5000% marked up boxes and packing materials and on site storage. They lose a lot of money on those trucks.

I think truckers though and delivery people will be fine. It will be a gradual thing so newer industries will emerge in that time frame. It will also speed up commerce. No more having to stop to sleep eat. If more goods are being delivered then that means more dollars bouncing around in the economy. The economy will get stronger IMO, not weaker.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I keep hearing 5-10 years from people not in the industry. That isn't even close to accurate. They will require significant changes to the infrastructure that aren't going to be cheap. Currently there's no way to refuel them, they will require something to show them where the docks are, which door or parking spot to go into, if they're going to back in, something to show them the room between trailers (I've been to a few docks that even with someone spotting it was a damn hard back with zero margin for error)...

All of that is going to cost a pretty penny. Where you will see them in that timeframe is on local and shorter regional runs. And that's a good thing honestly. Thanks to all the fun ways found to screw drivers, in the next 10 years we're going to see a significant driver shortage. If we lose the local and some regional runs it frees those drivers up for long haul and longer regional runs.

originally posted by: xuenchen
How does a self driving truck fill the fuel tank at a self serve fuel pump ? 😧

Truck stops that offer a full service fuel island for autonomous vehicles only. It's not impossible when the technology is there and fleets request it.

a reply to: ausername

I would imagine they will be hybrid gas/ electricity so will be filled at the beginning of their run and use a combination of both to make the trip.

a reply to: ausername

It's not impossible, but it's going to cost. Then there's the fun of breakdowns and godawful roads to deal with.

Eventually I can see all cars being replaced with self driving ones because of safety issues. Just give it time.

a reply to: rickymouse

Thats a very old fashioned way of thinking. Its a antiquated notion that you'll spend your working life down a single career path. The job of driving delivery vehicles will become obsolete, yes, that simply means people in that field will need to adapt. The self driving trucks will need to be serviced and for sure there will need to be people telling these trucks where to go. Simply put, jobs become obsolete very often - the answer is you adapt. Its not going to crash the economy or ruin peoples lives - inconvenience people? sure, maybe; but ruin, no.

I like the idea better than staying on the road all week BUT! I think when they mess up its gonna be big! Bigger than anything ever seen on the highways.

Your still gonna need wreckers to go out and get these trucks off the highway when they fail and they will just like everything else.
Still gonna need tire changers and mechanics.
When something goes wrong with the GPS guidance system its gonna take extra skilled smart personel to diagnose and fix it.

I was wondering the other day how will the DOPS pull an autonomous truck over and give to the owner a citation?

Autonomous trucks should make available thousands of jobs for people to keep them in tip top working order and they will have to be if they are going to be safe. Tip top working order means more expensive.

I honestly think by the time you put all this expensive BS on a truck and maintain it, you'll be cheaper and safer having a live driver. Those life saving statistics can only be fantasized about until 3.5 million truckers are actually replaced.

When you make something that large and heavy that can completely be controlled with electronics that can one day fail its kind of scary.

Is there potential to hack the system and take over the truck and make it go elsewhere? Steal the load?
Ram it into someone? What if some nut could take over twenty of these and ram them into some building?

I don't mean to sound so negative I'll just have to see this to believe it? If it were on rails it would be different and even that can still have head on collisions.

Remember that safety and security comes after profit, if then.

a reply to: JAGStorm

hyjackers will love this all they need to do is box in the truck until it stops and help themselves .

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yeah I agree. I work in transport and I've seen interstate companies undercut contracts but at the expense of the contract courier driver. Ultimately the profits go to the main contractor who'll use imported labour who'll go without lunch breaks and accept too many parcels to be delivered within the same time frame. Those savings aren't passed onto the consumer but retained by the head transport contractor shipper.

What some have missed in this is that there will be a capital cost to be recovered for the "new" purpose built automated systems/trucks, whilst cheaper in the long run than labour I think truckies are safe for at least another 5 years.

This is a mind blower; @ 3:11 trucks find each other to convoy and avoiding wind drag!!!!!
This was 2 Years ago!!!!

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

What he's missing is that "declared" inflation rates or "comparable basket of goods" are manipulated by Governments. Sure house may have gotten bigger on average but I know for a fact my "uneducated" father came to Australia and was able to own 2 houses.

Young people starting out are looking at $5-600,000 mortgages to get a decent house in an urban city area in Australia.
Their parents are helping out with deposits or going co-guarantors.

Now with immigration and population growth mortgages and cost of housing has gone through the roof.
Theres talk of soon 40 year mortgages will be the norm.

When he talks of cars - my BMW mech says it costs him $30K per annum for the BMW software license alone; he also specializes in Rovers and Jaguars. Only dealerships and specialized mechs will be able to service cars. Throwaway parts, modules etc. Built in obsolescence.

Then there's the misdiagnoses of faults due to a glitch or whatever and a $100 fix may balloon out to 000's and the consumer be non the wiser.

a reply to: JAGStorm

I made a thread on an article called 'carmageddon ' it's coming, automation coupled with the electric vehicle will transform our way of life.