Trucks are speeding past cars in the autonomous revolution. Why?

When you think of autonomous driving, it’s likely you think of cars. However, it looks like autonomous trucks will be the first to hit our roads. 

In 2017, Tesla patented an electric semi-truck that’s currently in production and will hit the highways in 2020. Then in October last year, Apple patented its own version called “Peloton,” while TuSimple is already supplying shipping ports with autonomous vehicles (there’s even a self-driving forklift). The market for self-driving trucks in closed facilities might be large, but the market for autonomous trucks on our highways is enormous.

5 reasons autonomous trucking is way ahead of cars

It’s a big challenge to bring autonomous cars into city streets, because of factors like traffic density, street regulations and unpredictable pedestrians. Long-haul trucks, though, are mostly used on highways, where these aren’t an issue. Self-driving trucks simply have to stay within their lane, monitor speed and keep a safe distance from other travelers and potential obstacles.

As a result, advanced driver assisted systems (ADAS) are much easier to program for a vehicle that doesn’t have to cope with the complexities of a city. And that’s not all:  

So, how does it work?

Autonomous trucks are grouped into a convoy, connected via Wi-Fi and automated driving systems. These vehicles automatically maintain a measured, close distance between each other. This reduces wind resistance (and fuel costs) and allows trucks to turn, speed up and brake simultaneously.

As with other autonomous vehicles, a combination of sensors, human machine interfacing, blind spot detection and collision-prevention technologies help trucks gain information and awareness on the road. 

With the guidance of a human operator capable of overseeing up to thirty trucks per hour, software like this translates map information into data for ADAS and autonomous driving.

What about the truckers?

While it’s true that some drivers may be out of a job and some may decide to leave the industry, companies plan to reskill truckers. This includes training them as lead platoon drivers, administrative personnel or even as employees similar to tugboat operators – meeting automated trucks at a docking station and then “driving” them to a warehouse for service or storage.

When will they hit the road?

With mining companies like Suncor already using self-driving trucks and Melbourne based Rio Tinto, sharing stats like “one billion tons of material without a single injury,” it looks like we’ll all soon be seeing self-driving trucks hauling freight on our highways.

In fact, autonomous trucks are only one law away in the UK, proving that the best results for self-driving vehicles are in the trucking industry. Companies quick to embrace these new applications will be ahead of the game.