Software developers are creating a significant breakthrough, working hand in hand with shipping companies. Software experts have come up with the concept of driverless trucks to meet the driver shortage woes faced by the shipping industry. With the onset of the COVID pandemic, shipping companies have been among the worst hit. Like JB Hunt Transport Services Inc., Uber Technologies Inc., and FedEx Corp., a few big-timers have been testing automated trucks. This new solution seems to be a long-term solution to an intractable labor problem.
Driverless Technology – Under Scrutiny
Sterling Anderson, a co-founder of Aurora Innovation Inc., responsible for testing driverless truck software with Uber Technologies logistics section, states, “Human drivers, by our nature, have to eat, sleep, and take breaks. What that leads to is enormous underutilization of these trucks and much slower movement of goods.”Tesla Inc. has introduced the Autopilot feature with a driver assistance system, which is the closest to autonomous passenger service but is constantly under scrutiny as safety advocates call the technology risk to motorists. Safety advocates warn that the technology is still unproven and has more chances for fatal crashes.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety Cathy Chase say, “What we see playing out on the roads with some cars claiming to have self-driving capabilities is giving people some pause. We should not be putting test products on the roads.”
Ariel Wolf, general counsel to the Self-Driving Coalition, spoke in favor of the new technology, “Autonomous trucks serve as an active partner to companies trying to address the truck driver shortage. He stresses, “It has to be safe, but we have to get these vehicles on the road as swiftly as possible”, adding that the trucker shortage is projected to keep growing, leading to price increases and delays.
Autonomous Trucks Can Be a Game-Changer
TuSimple Holdings recently completed the first fully autonomous semi-truck drive on open public roads, traveling 80 miles on public roads without a human driver from Tucson, Arizona, to Phoenix, Arizona. Alongside Waymo, the autonomous vehicle unit owned by Google p a r e n t A l p h a b e t Inc., also tried out autonomous tests of delivery vans with United Parcel Service Inc. with driverless rigs carrying freight.
Aurora Innovation with Uber Freight connects shippers digitally and hauling loads between Dallas and Houston terminals. Anderson is positive and anticipates that a fully autonomous version of the software will be available by 2023. “The business benefit is huge.” While a human driver takes two to three days to move a cargo load from Los Angeles to Dallas, a self-driving truck could make the trip non-stop in 24 hours. “That’s a game-changer for the industry when they can move goods that quickly and efficiently,” he said.
Greg Regan, president of the AFLCIOs transportation trades department, says, “We would be naive to think we could stop technological advancement. That’s never been our goal. But we have to make sure it is implemented safely, and we have to make sure that we are also looking at the economic impact of deployment.”