How Aurora Got Self-Driving Trucks On The Road

Trucking is an integral part of the economy, representing over 70 percent of freight moved in the United States. Yet it is dogged by driver shortages, safety issues and supply chain challenges. Pittsburgh-based Aurora is hoping to solve these problem and more by bringing self-driving technology to trucks. While other self-driving companies like Starsky Robotics, Embark and TuSimple have folded or scaled back efforts in the U.S., Aurora is moving ahead and is now delivering loads for customers like Uber Freight and Fedex in Texas. CNBC got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at its self-driving operation outside of Dallas to see what a driverless future for trucks could look like.
Chapters:
2:54 Ch 1 Aurora
5:58 Ch 2 Self-driving in Texas
9:34 Ch 3 Challenges
Produced, Shot and Edited by: Andrew Evers
Supervising Producer: Jeniece Pettitt
Additional Camera: Katie Tarasov
Animation: Jason Reginato
Narration: Robert Ferris
Additional Footage: Getty Images, Aurora, Starsky Robotics, Embark, TuSimple
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How Aurora Got Self-Driving Trucks On The Road

[@Python-13]

There is no trucker shortage. Just pay shortages

[@jefflewis4]

Yep companies created the driver shortage so they can replace the drivers with automation.

[@MrKongatthegates]

And yet computers will do it for no pay at all

[@Python-13]

@@MrKongatthegates thankfully not in my time! Don't worry. It'll come for all of our jobs in the name of capitalism

[@williamshafer3199]

@@Python-13 Capitalism is so evil, destroying our children's planet; and ultmately sows its own bankruptcy

[@youngsiles17]

Im out of trucking after 2 years and going electrician! Never been happier with no such things as shortage of workers cause it PAYS BANK!

[@colorado841]

A long time ago they invented a way of making trucks (almost completely) driverless. They are call railway tracks.

[@kens97sto171]

And trains cannot pull into the local grocery store can they.. A truck has to take it from the train intermodal location.. and get it to the final destination. Trains haul a huge amount of freight but its slow... 2 weeks or so to get across the USA, a truck can do that in less than half the time. A lot of freight is time sensitive.

[@ettoreatalan8303]

@@kens97sto171 Railroads have a shadowy existence in the USA and are hardly comparable to the railroads in other industrialized countries.

[@kens97sto171]

@@ettoreatalan8303 Railroads in the United States are extremely extensive. But mostly freight. Very little passenger service is done on any real scale here. About 28% of all freight is shipped by rail in the US. But as I mentioned it tends to be bulk stuff. And things that don't need to be there in a hurry. You need 30 train cars full of oil, or milk or some other bulk product. Trains are fantastic for that. They end up going to distribution centers the freight is offloaded and then reloaded onto semi trucks where it completes its journey. Intermodal freight is also quite large. We've all seen those containers that are used. They go by rail are then offloaded at a port or rail yard. And end up on a special semi truck trailer design specifically to handle those containers.

[@J0einOK]

My grandfather took a train from Hominy, Oklahoma to saint Louis in 1907. There used to be electric trams connecting all of LA metropolitan area. We used to have all the solutions we cannot think of now that we all are under the rule of the King of Saudi Arabia.

[@msromike123]

@@ettoreatalan8303 And yet we have the most productive rail system in the world, and by far move the most freight per capita of any country. If it ain't broke why fix it? Lastly, I reject your premise wholly. Hardly comparable in what metric? Let's keep the discussion to rail freight, please. The reason we don't have passenger trains comparable to other countries is we don't have population centers of millions of people 100 a miles apart, for the most part.

[@truckerdude9172]

Can't wait to see what these trucks are capable of in adverse weather conditions IE: snow, ice, heavy, rain, and wind. Edit: I'm being sarcastic by the way. Some of you are taking my comment as if I want these plastic turds on the road instead of competent drivers behind the wheel.

[@QueenFondue]

Crashing, for one

[@ericquinn8578]

And who fills the tank? Who does the pre-trip to make sure everything’s ok before it gets up to highway speeds?? Some of these tech people are dangerously ignorant.

[@DreadPirate89]

@@ericquinn8578 If anyone is ignorant it's you my friend. It's called sensors, and cars already monitor everything now. They just have to apply that to the trailer as well.

[@Optimus19793]

Well initially the service will start out as a service during good weather. LIDAR and cameras might have issues with rain but radars don't. There will be a way to overcome bad weather gradually but it is definitely a concern initially.

[@AS-fg1ev]

@@DreadPirate89good luck. We won't see this for at least 30 years. Another bs like AI

[@blthetube1962]

Anyone who knows trucking knows there are thousands of places that autonomy fails starting with the nature of LTL. When I can see an autonomous truck pull into a pot hole filled lot with barely enough room to move and back a trailer with inches to spare between obstacles, then I might be a believer. I would like to see it find a parking spot at a Pilot and back in😅

[@jorgesalazar818]

Autonomous truck doesn't need to find a parking spot at a Love's, no driver, no fatigue.

[@blthetube1962]

@@jorgesalazar818 You've addressed half my point... Sort of

[@mike07646]

I don't see any autonomous vehicle taking over the "last mile delivery" any time soon. As you mention, there is just too many obstacles and unknowns driving the local streets and making their way into loading docks for it to be effective and reliable. Where they really shine though, is the long-haul highway driving where the roads are relatively predictable, kept in good shape with good signage and lane markings (mostly). Autonomous can be used to take the trailers the few hundred miles from one 'parking lot' to another, and then picked up by local drivers to do the final ~25-50 mile deliveries. Drivers then go back to the 'parking lot' and pick up another load.

[@yaash4123]

My concern is how it fails.

[@topeverything9326]

What people don't seem to understand about automation and technology in general is that computers and sensors can do everything you're saying, much better than a human can. I don't understand how we are all on the internet 24/7 but most people don't understand how much technology has been out here for a very long time. Everybody is in for a very rude awakening when all this automation starts popping up in the wild...

[@steven4315]

Note that these trucks are diesels. The issues of driverless trucks and electric trucks are separate issues.

[@paulj8726]

Good point. I think someone has to work on the Rig form factor. If we are going autonomous, does the current Rig form factor make sense? Given that the current Rig form is designed for human being and serving wheels. But if you don’t need a human being, then you done need a searing wheel and you need a form factor to accomodate humans. Peterbilt, Mack, etc should partner with autonomous trucking firm to build driverless rigs.

[@ElectricVehiclesAreGoodF-ti7xd]

Newer diesel trucks go around 2,000 miles till empty. Everyone was eggcited when Tesler went 500 questionable miles

[@RosscoAW]

Not really. Autonomous driving of ICE and autonomous driving of electric vehicles are two separates issues, is what you should mean. The autonomy provided to diesel trucks cannot be transferred over 1:1 to a hypothetical EV truck (when those are actually competitive in the next few years). It's unknown how much training and data will be necessary to allow the generalization from one to the other, maybe it's eventually negligible and my comment becomes moot, but that's definitely not a good assumption to be investing according to.

[@steven4315]

@@RosscoAW I made my comment because some people assume electric trucks will be driverless.

[@xPussySlayerx69420]

Aurora develops the self-driving technology, not the truck itself. The truck being diesel or EV is irrelevant, the magic is in the tech.

[@MrJoemarV]

As a trucker, obviously I’m against machines taking my job! The only thing I can think of this being beneficial to me is AI driving does my driving on long highways then switches to me when in the city on the last mile or switches to me during bad weather, letting me run nonstop.

[@jimv77]

Do you think AI can do LTL doing deliveries and pickups around the city? I only see AI doing what you described above...long distance interstate driving.....like Ultra-Super-cruise purpose.

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

Real truckers drive in bad weather all the time. "Long highways" are the best! Tipically less traffic than city.

[@dixie3087]

If that happens though you’re pay will be cut in half. Let’s be real. They aren’t spending that money to make your job easier

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

You won't be needed to warm a seat. As it is they're paying you less than what we use to make.

[@Grigsy]

Derka durr

[@richardthomas598]

This is a prime example of what I call business reporting as PR cheerleading. It isn't journalism.

[@daniellepreyar]

Its really happening! My dad is a newly retired truck driver, his income allowed him to provide well for me and my siblings growing up. I'm sure he never thought he'd see self driving trucks in his lifetime. Its wild.

[@frosty3693]

He will not see it in has lifetime. This video is a huge puff piece that glosses over or ignores the problems. The "regulatory changes" needed are things like tort reform so the families of those killed by autonomous trucks cannot sue the companies who operate, build, design and write the software out of existence. That is what the monitoring driver is there for, to take the blame when the truck screws up. And these just go from terminal to terminal on easy routes. They cannot pick up or deliver anything. There will have to be big infrastructure changes for wide spread use and hazadous materials? ROFL

[@ent1311]

They need to hire a truck driver who has done it for decades to inform them of all the pitfalls they will face. Changes in weather, erratic drivers, and hackers are just some of the problems autonomous vehicles will face.

[@K-wx6ki]

@@frosty3693 you are very right. this is just a marketing piece

[@philfox4763]

Only way it's eventually going to happen is if they make designated lanes for driverless vehicles! Local trucking should be safe for a long time Who in their right mind wants to be a OTR driver anyway

[@frosty3693]

@@philfox4763 True about the OTR. The only way I see it working is for a dedicated lane on select highways, bike lanes for trucks. That will suit companies like JB Hunt, Swift, Werner, and others. There are programs where the trucks link into convoys. But if they use the right lane, others trying to get on or off the highway are going to have problems. And who is going to pay for it? It could turn into an alternative railroad type system. Maybe OTR truck convoy manager might be a future job for the youngest generation, who I hear don't want to interact with people and like computer work. A single driver managing 20, or more, trucks could be paid quite well. Or until the trucking companies figure out a way the scree them over. That is what they work for, most responsibly least pay and working conditions.

[@0_44_4]

Driverless, these vehicles need their own road. Oh ya we invented that already, it's called a train

[@BryantFarris]

conductors still operate em....

[@0_44_4]

@@BryantFarris ok... It's more about getting semi trucks off our roads. They ruin highways, block traffic and cause major accidents. Apparently you've never driven across this great land.

[@ditoiuc]

We did it in Europe

[@doomtomb3]

it's the last mile problem. but for some reason the auto manufacturers crushed the railroads

[@HTV-2_Hypersonic_Glide_Vehicle]

​@@BryantFarristhe key phrase they were addressing is "these vehicles need their own road" of course trains have locomotive engineers and conductors and operators

[@wreak3r]

Self driving trucks are great. We should have a separated lane for them on the most common routes. And to make things even more efficient, we can chain containers together one behind the other and have fewer more powerful driving units to propel the containers. Also tires create a lot of friction reducing usable energy, so we could also replace those with something more efficient, like metal since they will have their dedicated lanes, we can build the lanes of metal and have the wheels also be metal and connected to the lane. We can even have them be fully electric, but no need for batteries, just run power cables over the lanes.

[@HeremodofGotha]

If only someone would have invented this!!🚅🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋🚋

[@Jlingooregon]

Lol😂😂😂 stop smokin the hippy lettuce

[@RedRedred-ld4pb]

Who is going to open the doors?

[@JoePolaris]

The alternative is freight trains to bulk , last mile EV trucks for train deport to end point

[@meet_jagtap]

Adam Something, NJB, etc are just great...!

[@MB-id3un]

As a trucker I’ll say 4 wheelers will put this technology in a test. Instead of paying drivers well to make a living now getting rid of the drivers. Good job Corporate America. Tell me who’ll chain up those tires? Fill up the tanks. Don’t forget about lawsuits in case of accidents. There’s a lot to mention but manufacturers and policy makers don’t know anything about OTR.

[@nazannan2812]

I agree with you 100%

[@jamaicasysbm2580]

Facts

[@yosemite735]

There are already lawsuits from human drivers. The self-driving will become better. They may hire someone to fill the trucks at the truck stops. Chains? They can have people for that too. Many drivers pay to have chains installed. Be glad you will not have to drive anymore. It is a crap job.

[@CVSoprano]

Yep, self-driving cannot defeat the 4-wheel boss.

[@MB-id3un]

@@yosemite735 😂😂😂

[@leor838]

The industry seems to be concerned mostly about reducing regulations for the autonomous driving system, in other words reducing their liability. And the other issue seems to be they want to reduce costs, or put another way increase profit and leaving the public holding the bag on the backs of their drivers.

[@tombushman8029]

I wonder what will happen if a company buys this new peterbilt with the aurora driver and it kills someone. Who’s responsible, the freight company, peterbilt or aurora?

[@krisschnee3151]

@@tombushman8029Yeah, that's an important legal question. I'm not sure of the current rules but some years ago Florida passed a law saying that until further notice, whoever turned the autopilot on was considered responsible. That's not necessarily the best answer but it was important to set *some* kind of rule so that potential investors don't ask "what's our legal risk?" and get told "nobody knows".

[@animeshdas9842]

The autonomous drivers are inherently more safe than human drivers. First, they don't get tired and fall asleep at the wheel, 2nd there are no novice drivers in autonomous world. When a improvement is made to the software, ALL trucks get that improvement. When a human driver learns a new skill, only that human driver knows it.

[@leor838]

@@animeshdas9842 you make a lot of assumption that are just not valid. The herd of drivers has been teaching each other improvements for years. Also there's no evidence that autonomous-driving works yet. So in conclusion I disagree with just about everything you said.

[@ibezimokehie9526]

It's not a one sided deal. Reduced costs are a benefit to everyone in society. Lots of people will be hurt in various ways, the law through regulations, tort and liability will try and ameliorate the damages. That is the cost of progress.

[@dwoolf7019]

These companies will try to sell to consumers that things will be cheaper because of lower labor costs. Not only will jobs be gone but your products will not be any cheaper as companies hold onto a fatter profit margin.

[@jamaicasysbm2580]

Facts

[@bignick3303]

Self driving trucks won’t get rid of drivers entirely but it will change the industry tremendously. It’s main advantage in the beginning will primarily be in OTR driving. Open highways, warehouse to warehouse deliveries is where it will shine. Where it will have difficulty is in local cities.

[@slbdnkrmpc9951]

I agree with you, I think that OTR might go to oblivion with upcoming automation, but who knows, they might keep the driver inside a cabin just in case...

[@bignick3303]

@@slbdnkrmpc9951 agreed. It’ll be a long time, probably not in our lifetime, before they fully go driverless.

[@kullwarrior]

​@@bignick3303it will be within our lifetime there are already driverless vehicles operating in mines.

[@xavierd3298]

I can guarantee it will get rid of drivers completely. Give the technology 10 years and autonomous drive will be more safe and reliant than a actual human.

[@brentoniverson1020]

​@@xavierd3298 5 years

[@robf8349]

The truck driver is exactly right. This tech is amazing for helping drivers stay safe during long monotonous drives but theres no way these trucks will drive without someone behind the wheel

[@UpUpDnDnLtRtLtRtBAStart]

No way? I'm scared to use that term with AI. "A fool thinks he wise and wise man knows he's a fool."

[@canyounot4665]

They already are. Walmart, UPS, and FedEx agreed to convert a few dozens of their distribution centers to use this self-driving tech. They plan to buy even more.

[@LTULOfficial]

They will, because they will not enter the city. The hub is on a highway which makes everything easier.

[@robf8349]

@@LTULOfficial Keeping it on known highway routes will definitely help a lot but the edge cases an AI would need to learn for a several hundred mile drive are still insanely high. Not even factoring in weather, construction, breakdowns, etc

[@cyclicmusings2661]

There will always be a driver at least as a deterrent to robbery. I imagine a self driving truck would be a prime target for thieves who can run the truck off the road or even hack it. I don't think an AI can ever be programmed for every possible situation and make a real time decisions. Or what about the truck breaking down and blowing a tire? Need a safety driver.

[@ReferMadness]

As a truck driver my advice to everyone is if you see a self driving truck stay the hell away from it if you value your life! We already have a bunch of so-called safety features on our trucks such as lane assist, forward facing crash mitigation, adaptive cruise control, etc. They can't even get that stuff to work correctly half the time and they think they can get the truck to drive itself SAFELY? These sensors fail ALL THE TIME and it will directly lead to death on the roads!

[@useridcn]

I stay away from all trucks. Most trucks now speed anyway. They don't see or care about anyone on the road. Don't try to claim human driven trucks are better when tons of drivers are being dangerous. I'd rather give robots a chance.

[@JerridFoiles]

Calm down, bud. Your driver job won't be replaced anytime soon, but I would still start saving for retirement.

[@stevebausch2782]

Wait till the "told me to override the alarm" scandals erupt.

[@vladimirgollumputin2166]

These "self-driving'' trucks might be fine on open road but there's no way they can back into tight spots without hitting something. This is why they never show footage of the trucks backing into cramped loading docks on their own.

[@carkawalakhatulistiwa]

AI is currently only able to replace all truckers on the highway. But who knows in 5 years😂

[@DrivenA111]

@@carkawalakhatulistiwaThey mentioned someone in the seat in case something happens.

[@stevebausch2782]

And a robot fuels the truck?

[@jmccoomber1659]

The most interesting point made here was the trucking company owner/driver who said drivers will always be needed in places where it snows. Regulations and legislation are needed to work out accident liability questions when there's a mishap with no one is behind the wheel. I predict autonomous trucking is a long way off if it happens at all - companies can't operate billions in the red in perpetuity!

[@christopherhobb7702]

Every family has that one person who will break the family's financial struggle, I hope you become the one 😊

[@haydencraig7149]

Investing in alternate income streams should be the top priority for everyone right now especially given the global economic crisis we are currently experiencing, Stocks, gold, silver, and virtual currencies are still attractive investments at the moment.

[@silver831cali3]

Those truckers driving those trucks are selling their future as driver's

[@ukayhemi6385]

Exactly

[@Nabee_H]

This would never work for big cities like NYC or Toronto (at least for now) but I could definitely see a trucker using this as a sort of Autopilot just like how a Pilot does, when the trucker merges onto the highway he can head to bed, eat or watch some TV and can simply head back to the drivers seat when merging off the highway.

[@horayshyt]

trucking is literally the only job i could do to afford my 1 million dollar a year medication copay and still have a somewhat normal life. thank you screwing me, and a lot of other hardworking drivers like me.

[@marpintado]

The final leg cant be done by auto-driving. Maybe you end up driving less hours and sleep everyday at home. I hope so.

[@Spongy656]

Medicare4all

[@horayshyt]

@Spongy656 that's what they want. All of us to be dependent on their system. It's ridiculous.

[@-----------------------------]

Weak genes are at fault right here.

[@Spongy656]

@@horayshyt kinda like you're already dependent on your employer and still have to pay too much in copays,m

[@youtubechannels9205]

Going from Nevada to California, I had to chain up 5 times in March. The road was not visible at all. We had to park at dangerous locations, all the time. In one day, I have seen five overturned trucks. Loads shifting, hand tightening straps and chains. And on and on and on.

[@alb12345672]

Upstate NY winters 🤣🤣

[@DipDown]

And that's why "Artificial General Intelligence" comes for . What you are seeing now, is combination of softwares which make a complete automaton software. ( Look I have said automaton not artificial " intelligence"). Which means it givens instruction to do a certain tasks. In very near future it would be ( Combination of autonomous software= 1 artificial general intelligence " ) . Which can do many kind of things at one time at many perfect tesk to do as what you said in your given opinion. I'm a 3 semester computer science major who are willing to do research on (AI ) .

[@richardspillers6282]

​@@DipDownI don't think you understood his comment.

[@DrivenA111]

@@richardspillers6282I think he did.

[@simondahl5437]

“Our economy runs on the trucking industry” Yeah. The economy also runs on people having jobs and wages.

[@Orginal_Sinner]

💯💯

[@ocampbell1954]

There will be jobs when all this technology comes into play. It might not be the skills these people have, but if you have STEM kills you can get jobs. Maybe Americans need to get smarter and learn that blue collar jobs will be a thing of the past. Just like coal mining jobs and a lot of assembly line jobs.

[@cede-hf7vi]

​@@ocampbell1954and how many jobs are there in tech? Enough for 3.5 million drivers that lost their jobs? How about when AI takes all the meaningless middle management jobs? Couple more million out of work.

[@Jeffhowardmeade]

​@@ocampbell1954You better hope they get those skills, because the last thing you want is a couple of million unemployed truck drivers. I know a fair number of them, and they're not a long-suffering bunch. They'll go monkey wrench gang on these autonomous trucks in a heartbeat.

[@Felix-no7nx]

yeah but the drivers markets allready suffers personal shortages. These trucks dont end deployment of professional drivers!

[@luckyguy4173]

I want to know what that truck will do when there is an accident and they send traffic to be diverted... or if an insect covers its sensors or if it would be able to detect a piece of iron or if a tire explodes....

[@GPROMOTIONS]

Les said flatbed who will tarp who will secured the load verified this dont shift ect a blow tire chains on winter ect

[@jimv77]

I think the AI truck would just do the same as the robotic floor cleaner at Sam's Club: it would just beep and wait until things get out of it's way....who knows how long... LOL!

[@geo6460]

​@@GPROMOTIONS. They will have someone in there. Their job will be to be a supporting staff.

[@kingduckford]

@@geo6460 That's why drivers will never lose a single job. Beyond driving, he is the supporting staff/technician of the truck itself. Even if he isn't driving much, he is the only guy there to safeguard, maintain, observe, and keep safe that expensive heavy cargo and complicated heavy machine. They will keep the driver in the truck, because it is more responsible and efficient than sending "support staff" to problem trucks on the highway.

[@Bentfrombeyond]

​​@@kingduckfordThe only thing is the wages will be garbage, I can see corporate shitheads wanting to pay minimum wage for one of most dangerous jobs in America, and I have zero confidence that once the companies get a foothold in the industry their callousness towards drivers will grow exponentially with time and a profit margins. They at the end of the day don't care about the driver they care about profitability, and they will try as hard as possible to put as much of the responsibility on the computational unit, so they can undermine and underpay what they consider and corporate babysitter for their equipment. And these guys will try to aim for Level 5 Autonomous operations, which means no driver, every good ol boy and old fart with a semi says it's not a threat, but I was born at the dawn of the internet, and I comprehend just how quickly technology goes from the drawing board to ubiquitous use on a global scale, anyone that says it's not happening is willfully ignorant.

[@ajstunts2402]

I live in Washington state. How would the truck chain up its tires? With it's cameras? Who will strap the loads down? The computer? When there's 6 inches of snow out will it read the roads still? Or will it wait til spring to make the route?

[@b.sharp.]

Same person who has to fill the gas tank or plug in the battery or check the fluids or do any maintenance whatsoever

[@Mothball_man]

Advice from the small auto autonomous industry: It’s going to be a hell of a lot harder than you think.

[@grantog123]

I'm a dump truck driver in San Francisco. Would be curious to see when they can carry heavy equipment in residential areas on steep grades.

[@MrKongatthegates]

They have self driving trucks in the oil sands. So weight is not an issue

[@grantog123]

@MrKongatthegates was thinking the small streets and randomness of a residential layout. Like backing up hundreds of feet through a winding one way road. But they will be awesome, who are we kidding lol.

[@philfox4763]

If they can make dump trucks safer on the highways, it'll be a good thing Dump trucks nowadays are a menace to the highways

[@Tgshgkgh]

Don’t worry your job be safe until end of days

[@richardspillers6282]

​@@MrKongatthegateswhere?

[@yugshende3]

whatever you folks at CNBC are doing its working. I almost never get recommended CNBC before but now I do. And I think it is because of this mix of educational and news type of content.

[@cmbambafu7625]

Been to a few small towns where the Truck stops are the major employer. Will be interesting to see where this leads.

[@phdat]

refuel, brake check, equipment check etc still need human to do those things

[@sunglasserz]

Good luck on broken roads, snow/ salt, rain, dust, fog, strong winds and texting drivers.

[@avonfettydale9166]

They just want to take away every single job there is 😂

[@YoungansRunningstaks_llc]

They can’t u don’t worry at all 💯impossible These unions run this country and Owner operators as soon as they figure the bs they are trying to push a strike will happen and that is the last thing we want to happen

[@uzzuzz9320]

One glitch in the system can result in a crash and company will be sued into the ground.

[@TheBUGZNTA]

You are aware that trucks are in half a million accidents a year already right? Its called insurance. Even in cases of gross negligence the company isnt sued into the ground. They have insurance for that.

[@trepan4944]

Even if its 1/2 autonomous with lane assist and lane change features with cameras this is still a massive boost to the trucking industry.

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

You think?

[@youtubetim3577]

Lol real driver don't need lane assist and that bs. Been driving for 13 years accident free in Northern states with ice, wind, snow and everything in between if you can't do simple tasks like that and need a computer to assist you then you got issues.

[@growingup4487]

@@youtubetim3577 reduces crashes, you're just bragging about yourself.

[@fuffoon]

​@@youtubetim3577 Good for you. The carnage produced in trucking accidents is terrible. We need more perfect drivers. Keep up the record.

[@Raptorman0909]

Drivers assists alone will never fly -- the cost of the hardware and the subscription would not be met by lower costs. The only way this flies economically is fully automated with no person at all in the cab. If you have a driver at all you are paying that persons salary AND you're also paying higher price for the truck with the LIDAR and other sensors that cost a fair bit of money and will have to be replaced from time to time. If you remove the driver entirely you eliminate the driver cost AND the truck can run 24 hours per day minus fuel stops and maintenance. A truck operating fully autonomously might average over 1200 miles per day making coast-to-coast possible in 2.5 days. Of course, the first time one of these autonomous trucks blasts through a school zone and runs over 29 kids the entire industry ends -- PERIOD!

[@CVSoprano]

No amount of self-driving trucks can overcome the other idiots on the road driving like maniacs.

[@cbeez68]

People who beleive this never drove Trucks before

[@blackspiderman1887]

It don't take 3 days to get from California to Dallas. 2 days, and if you're a team driver 1 day and a half. Also it won't improve fuel efficiency. Most big company trucks are governed at 65 mph anyway. Self driving trucks won't work. What will happen when you get a flat tire or the engine need repair. You'll always need a driver inside. You already see Elon had to cancel self driving due to all the lawsuits filed against him.

[@jarednovel]

It is almost impossible to replace drivers entirely because of the various complexities involved yet automation can be used to make driving efforless and more fun especially for younger people. Transportation can also be made more safe with automation

[@dylanattix2765]

Not to mention we might eliminate drivers, but they're simply replaced by engineers, technicians and whatnot who need to keep the whole thing running. I once heard a saying that 85% of the jobs my generation will hold didn't exist at the time we were in school.

[@oscarlivoi8252]

@@dylanattix2765 You're getting it wrong... technology makes scalability surprisingly easy and cost efficient. A bigger business requires more workers. For example an automated truck will see more deliveries being made. The customer will have to employ more people to handle such deliveries. The company making deliveries will buy more trucks because they won't be driver constrained. More trucks means more opportunities for those producing them.

[@KevinSmith-qi5yn]

Return of full-service truck fueling stations

[@ianwparedes]

no, these companies are looking to replace workers and save money, not "make it fun" for younger workers.

[@jarednovel]

@@ianwparedes They are not being realistic... You can only achieve 100% automation if you can build dedicated infrastructure for the driverless trucks. We understand they want to replace humans except its not practical

[@PAVEL--JAKL]

What happens if the sensors gets blocked with snow in winter? 🤔

[@vadimpolovin7946]

You screwed 😅

[@PAVEL--JAKL]

@@vadimpolovin7946 I thought so..

[@stevek4449]

So if a deiverless truck breaks down and it calls "Robo-Tow" to come out, does a robot pop out to fix or hook up the broken truck? Can it learn from its mistakes like humans can? A team can drive up to 1200 to 1400 miles a day. A team can drive on snow and ice and chain up. Can this truck do those things?

[@chiefkith187]

I worked on a object recognition project using lidar points, it seemed promising.

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

The jobless and it's ripple effects seems promising also

[@TheBHAitken]

The key to automated trucking is of course control over the highways. It's just a whole lot safer when you don't have those pesky humans with their unpredictable actions getting in the way.

[@SireDragonChester]

The problem is with trucking Industry, driver are over worked, underpaid and often not trained enough or properly. They also often just throw new driver into new automatic truck and drivers just step on gas and forget about everything else. This will also force more big trucks be automatic. Which is huge mistake Imo. All trucks should be manual transmission, unless your physically can not drive a manual. Manual truck force a driver be more aware of road/weather conditions and force you be more aware of the truck. Also forces you be better driver and monitor your engine RPM speed and road conditions. This automation will just force many driver to quit. I still think a driver should be present at all times.

[@macmccune21]

I was hoping to go to cdl school when I am eligible in 2026. This is one of the few careers I see myself having the ability to maintain long term. I really hope trucks do not become driverless. With new technology (driverless vehicles, robots taking orders and delivering, AI taking programming and writing jobs) the job market is going to become very competitive.

[@kens97sto171]

Look into specialized freight... flatbed, and other stuff. much less likely to be effected.. Also.. maybe think about other skilled work. Welding, HVAC, plumbing, electrical.. etc. Good jobs.. and unlikely to be replaced by a robot.

[@kenjihayes336]

Still go you can do local. Self driving is for long haul

[@krisschnee3151]

I had been reading bad things recently about the truck-driving industry. (In a book called "The Secret Life of Groceries".) Supposedly it may've been a good deal a decade ago but lately, trucking schools trick customers with promises of well-paying jobs and then pressure them to become owner-operators instead, which turns out to be all risk, no profit, no upside. Don't know how true that is but it's something to watch for.

[@mannsolo6294]

​@@kens97sto171don't listen to anything anyone tells you about "driverless" trucks. A truck will always have a driver in it. A train is on a goddamn track going through thousands of miles through the wilderness and it has an engineer. No way in hell is the government ever going to allow an 80,000 vehicle to be flying up and down the road unmanned with the motoring public. Only an idiot would believe something like that.

[@whitewolfsthoughts700]

@@kens97sto171 Welding is already being replaced by automation

[@alfaeco15]

Autonomous trucks? Hey everybody, free cargo!

[@ncard00]

No, electrify and speed upgrade the freight trains instead, these new trucks will hurt the climate much more, green freight rail will reduce climate change.

[@stevechance150]

If we've learned anything over the years it's that the primary purpose of police is to protect the property of the rich. Robbing a self-driving truck will be punished like murder or kidnapping.

[@WeatherManToBe]

??? What's stopping you right now? A driver isn't an armoured guard.....

[@ocampbell1954]

This isn't the 1840s. lol You act as if law enforcement won't exist.

[@alfaeco15]

@@WeatherManToBe try to break into a truck with a driver present and see what happens.

[@ckarnik]

What happens when the system gets hacked and a truck is sent into a crowd of people? Any computer system can be hacked.

[@bryant026]

​@@wink6760how can you be so sure?

[@TheBUGZNTA]

It already can happen with cars that have no autonomous capability.

[@TheBUGZNTA]

@@wink6760 It literally already is google it.

[@mirzaahmed6589]

You think a hijacker cannot force their way into a traditional truck and drive it into the crowd? Technology alarmists are hilarious.

[@coding7196]

I once saw a truck driver reverse a rig through a fairly narrow gate at a building site, from a neighborhood road, and I can't see a driver-less truck doing that.

[@TougeTime]

Transit time is a lot longer

[@DistrustHumanz]

That is the truck maneuvering to accomodate the environment. The environment WILL change to accomodate the driverless truck.

[@TougeTime]

@DistrustHumanz bruh. It took 25yrs to add one lane on i5 where I live. Lmao. That would take forever

[@DrivenA111]

@@TougeTimeLmao. Furthermore, I think there will still be a person sitting in the seat.

[@Stuie417]

I can see this sort of system taking some of the driver burdens off of picking up containers from shipping ports and delivering to major distribution centers. I think the biggest challenge would delivering to McDonalds or some smaller scale alcohol distributor. If trucks have to make delivers with one container to multiple customers, then there is still going be a need for an operator to sign off for deliveries, or make sure one customer doesn't unload the wrong stuff.

[@Octavius634]

Margins for Uber are going to increase exponentially.

[@therealcnn5346]

Down for the people… what’s the entrance fee

[@Epistemologics]

Well actually prices would go down if the cost goes down for Uber. Their margins might increase a LITTLE. If self driving becomes mainstream, and Uber keeps prices steady, another company will undercut them and Uber will be forced to lower prices.

[@chapelknight951]

They might actually "turn a profit" finally!

[@openmindchannel1978]

You will start to hear these cars getting break into and steal in a very near future trust me. If Walmart could not secure stores that has cameras and physical employees in it , just imagine what will happens to autonomous...

[@Ask-a-Rocket-Scientist]

Tesla is going to put Uber out of business.

[@RedMo46]

As a motorcyclist, knowing fully well many of us have died due to self driving Teslas not being able to recognize bikes as bikes up close but as cars in the distance, im not sure how i feel about this. A Tesla is a biggg car but a freakin semi DWARFS that EV

[@mirzaahmed6589]

Motorcyclists die because they are idiots and weave in and out of traffic at 110 mph.

[@darevsool9148]

Not being of an engineering background, wouldn't adding some sort of transmitter help autonomous vehicles with motorcycle detection?

[@fnfastone]

So what happens when the truck or trailer starts having a mechanical issue? When there's smoke coming from the trailer wheel bearing on I-40 in Arizona? A driver would notice right away and pull over before the wheels fall off.. what about the self driving truck? Does it keep dragging the trailer without wheels?

[@johnmooney6862]

Eventually, driving, long distance the truck is going to run out of diesel or low on battery. Are they going to pull into a truckstop and someone’s gonna fill it up or charge it up or are they just going to run within the state?

[@DominicUliano]

Who pays the federal, state and local income taxes when the drivers are replaced?

[@mwat22]

The Amazon's and whoever is working but I doubt jeff bezos will be all too happy to take up that extra tax burden

[@jonathanfilion7372]

@@mwat22he'll just find more loopholes to pay as little as possible

[@mumwifeteacher]

He just thinks tax’s apply to the rest of us

[@jimv77]

So when something goes wrong, who do you sue: owner/operator, truck manufacturer, software developer.....this looks VERY messy....this applies to anything autonomous (car drone, etc)

[@dylanc9145]

Leave it to right wing morons to worry about who should be sued IF something goes wrong.

[@TheBUGZNTA]

True thats not a concern with drivers. They barley ever crash. Only half a million times a year.

[@thailux6494]

Obviously, you sue who caused the issue, like today. Did the driver purposefully run over a person? It's the driver's fault. Did the brakes faulter? Then it's the trucker manufacturer's fault (or of the company that made rthe last routine inspection on the truck). etc. Why did the truck jump off a bridge? Was it because the autonomous system told it to? Then it's the fault of the company that developed the system. Did the truck's brakes not break? Then let's sue the manufacturer. It's really not complicated at all...

[@professorblackops-cybersec1168]

@jimv77 product insurance cheap then driver insurance. Since, AI is super consistent, Companies can calculate how many people will get hurt, die and/or injured. Insurance are ready freaking out about the drop in premiums and money,,

[@8urym3ag27]

They’ll just sue the middle class people. Money has to come from somewhere and it can’t be from the rich.

[@grantog123]

As a truck driver, I hear people saying humans are needed...but look at chess and machine learning. I give it 5-10 yrs for full automation.

[@MM-fe9mz]

We already have driverless trucks, THEY ARE CALLED TRAINS!!

[@stevecallagher9973]

it will be interesting to see what the prime mover looks like when completly autonomous, given the absence of a pilot that might mean increased payload and no sleeper cab!

[@MarkWendland]

I have a newer international and the extra sensors and driver assists do make driving easier over months and years. I see this research over the next two decades as impacting driver fatigue and safety like the driver in the video remarked.

[@ItzDrPlow]

said no driver ever.

[@darnellharrison3883]

Why haven’t they ever shown one of these trucks backing up. Every time they put out one these promos for all these different companies they never show the truck backing. 😂😂😂

[@mirzaahmed6589]

They don't. They clearly said a human driver will take over for the last bit in truck yards.

[@Patrickstarrrrr69]

Lawyers rubbing their hands waiting for the lawsuits to pile up

[@rendermanpro]

- Thousand cashiers lost jobs - I'm not a cashier, it's ok - Thousand call center operators lost jobs - I'm not a operator, it's fine - Thousand drivers lost jobs - I'm not a driver, I don't care Then one day they will come for terminate your job..... Quality of service and customer support falling apart, prices are still the same....

[@MM-fe9mz]

More tech eliminating employees while companies continue raising prices increasing profits

[@jaydibernardo4320]

Big rig trucks on US freeways on auto pilot? What could possibly go wrong?

[@MHG796]

Way better than humans.

[@chinto6389]

​@@MHG796 way better at crashing

[@ilikevines]

I don't even think the logistics companies are that bothered by the wages they have to pay drivers, they're just annoyed that truckers need to sleep and take breaks on their routes.

[@TheTarrMan]

I'm glad I got out when I did. Trucking is not a good job and although I'm thankful for the experience it just chewed me up and spit me out like I didn't even matter. The fact this is starting to happen means the working conditions are about to get much worse. Obviously somebody will have to be there to monitor the truck but now it's going to be team driving only and the workload is going to be even more overbearing.

[@phanuellaurent]

Context.... A human can do 1k miles in a day but the laws won't allow them. Keep that in mind

[@steven4315]

Can a person drive 1k miles a day? Yep. Is it safe? Nope. The good news is the truck driver has all those 4 wheelers to cushion his crash.

[@xPussySlayerx69420]

aurora can do 1k miles a day, every day and while maintaining the same safety metrics everytime. Humans? Nope. Keep that in mind

[@WetflowerVariant]

​@@xPussySlayerx69420self driving cars can crash and fail when the software is hacked

[@xPussySlayerx69420]

@@WetflowerVariant Humans can crash and fail whenever they get distracted, sleepy, go crazy, go into road rage, not being attentive, and/or they aren't paying attention to other cars in the road. We can play this game all day :D It's a good thing Walmart tested these self-driving trucks with one of their distribution centers. The distribution center had 0 accidents, a safety record that no other distribution center even comes close to with their human truckers. LMAO like I said, self-driving trucks will take over whether you like it or not, simply because they are cheaper, faster, and safer. Companies will prefer a 0.1% crash rate with robots instead of a 15% crash rate with humans that also happen to be 2-3x slower.

[@craigcook6300]

@@xPussySlayerx69420 that's only in theory some major things they didn't mention the trucks themselves aren't built to do that anymore they will not stand up to running 24hours a day the problem is it is still being done in a controlled enviroment and this will always still be the case.

[@ulearnwithrobert9013]

Companies will be going this way regardless of how people feel about it. Tesla, Aurora, and other self driving options will be out here. We just have to embrace technology and understand this will happen.

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

They are already drowning drivers by paying them less currently. While everything costs more

[@stevechance150]

What is one of the biggest concerns of the writers striking in Hollywood? AI. Why did UPS cave into their driver's demands? To overt a teamsters strike (which would have crippled the economy). At some point the teamsters are going to rise up against the threat of self-driving trucks. I wouldn't bet against the teamsters.

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

Everyone had a wage increase but truck drivers got a huge decrease

[@tannerpaisley-ve6dq]

It is going to set a ripple effect on the economy like never before seen.

[@avonfettydale9166]

Spoken like a true bootlicker

[@feargasyoutube6300]

They come together to prevent the switch from Diesel to electric, because it would need millions of Americans working to rebuild the electric grid, but when a shortage of workers exists due to their unwillingness to listen to employees, they remove them all together

[@CobugCobug]

So how does it refuel and how does it drop the trailer and hook up the brake lines

[@RakeenB]

The decisions I make on daily basis in my truck only can made be with a human, pre trips, etc. I would love to see a truck try to make a turn in a city where there’s heavy traffic

[@manechirag]

Yet**

[@lesablier2088]

@@kanding3369 When you land a plane theres no traffic around it. Traffic operator make sure that theres no impedants to land the plane. When you're stuck for whatever reason in a semi its different. I've been stuck for various reasons because traffic, strikes, end road, blocked roads etc.. When i am in the truck i use 2 eyes which gives a full vision of whats going on. Operate a truck remotly needs severals cameras and severals screens the feeling is very different. A plane can't land on a busy airstrip properly because of various reason of safety like windshear. MB released a truck in europe with cameras instead side mirrors, the main problem is sometimes you need a wider angle because of the blind spot in this case you just have to get your head closer of the miroir something you can't with cameras.. I think you need to drive a semi, or do a flight ride in a cesna. Typing on a keyboard is different than reality

[@lesablier2088]

@@tazdingo5297 You need to drive a truck for at least 1 week. Then come back to discuss about it here.

[@manechirag]

@@lesablier2088 and you need to understand the basics of how AI learns before saying it won't take over your job.... spoiler alert, it eventually will

[@professorblackops-cybersec1168]

The first trucks are not going in the city.. He showed it in the video.. It will just do highway driving and park in the terminal..

[@theibot5904]

If you have terminals, just put cargo on rails, would make it way easier and already being eviromentally better

[@notesgo1556]

Those fools could care less about the environment.

[@miriley6]

havent finished the video sonsorry if this is mentioned but how easy would it be to hijack these trucks and take conteol? or stop one or somehow manage to get into the back and steal whatevers inside? security and safety is my biggest concerns

[@xavierd3298]

Give the technology 10 years and all those flaws will be perfected. Give the technology 20 years and there will be laws in place trying to ban human drivers completely because of how safe autonomous drivers are

[@VegasVaron]

Simply amazing!

[@keytothegate68]

Pretty sure this will never happen and in fact will increase the need for drivers and other employees to run this. However, maybe they can build separate interstate highways on certain routes for driverless delivery

[@DTczsk1999]

🤣😂🤣😂

[@DickNasty480]

Autonomous trucks are not going to be able to navigate around mountainous terrain or in snowy conditions. This might be able to work in some areas where all you have is Interstate but there is a long way to go.

[@iSethWoods]

You will need hubs throughout the interstate system for automated fueling stations/charging stations. It can be done, but will need decades worth of establishing a robust system I'd say.

[@tiptoe38]

U still going to need a driver in the truck.

[@topeverything9326]

Not if there is someone at the pump waiting for the trucks…

[@topeverything9326]

@@tiptoe38 you guys have to wake up. Automation is very real. I definitely feel bad for truckers, but computers/programmers are more than capable of pulling this off. It’s not like this is something new. It’s damn near at the final stage… Almost ANYTHING can be automated. It really isn’t anything hard, per se. Resources and research is all that’s needed.

[@darkwoodmovies]

We're still decades away from this, but when the supply chain is mostly autonomous, that is when the world will truly change and we'll need to develop new versions of economies.

[@jayweekes77]

also, what happens the AI does not 'allow' manual correction/instructions?

[@matthewrupp5526]

Self driving cars crash and operate erratically all the time. I can't imagine a 70,000 truck doing that. Not to mention traffic, snow, ice, wind, avoiding collisions etc. Seems like a HUGE liability and lawsuits waiting to happen.

[@devnom9143]

Yup, the US has trains regularly derailing & that is a far controlled & regulated environment than what we currently have for self driving trucks, it seems highly likely that we're gonna see major issues

[@101stairborne6]

@@devnom9143this technology is in its infancy. Stop being ignorant to the science. I’m a truck driver myself, I’m not a petty 10 year old throwing a tantrum over what future has in store

[@JerridFoiles]

Autonomous cars acting erratically, and crashing? Prove your claim.

[@devnom9143]

@@JerridFoiles The Tesla that drove towards a cyclist until the driver took or & the multiple times Tesla's drove into semi truck trailers. The time a Tesla hit a fire truck on I-680. The report that Autopilot was designed to disengage before a crash so that it wouldn't be found at fault for the crash. Tesla's are remarkably good at crashing into stationary objects

[@JerridFoiles]

@@devnom9143 That's because Tesla's are not good examples of autonomous cars. One piece of evidence to support this is the fact that Teslas lack the LIDAR sensor on the top of the car unlike every other COMPETENT autonomous car company like the ones mentioned in this video.

[@djcutwizard]

what happens when the equipment fails or no one is properly maintaining it

[@xPussySlayerx69420]

hire a contractor at a nearby city. No need to hire a full-time trucker to take care of the occasional maintenance. Every distribution center will have mechanics to maintain it for the next trip. Mechanics will still be needed, but full-time truck drivers, not so much.

[@staticbb]

Super old guy: "I cannot see 80 thousand pound trucks, in my life time--" oh so we're about 2 years out? Sweet!

[@trae_tha_trucker412]

Hackers would have a field day with those trucks…

[@charmerci]

We really need this for long haul, highway (mainly interstate) driving where fatigue hits. You can keep local drivers busy.

[@tiptoe38]

Not going to happen.

[@charmerci]

@@tiptoe38 - yes, it will. Apparently, you didn't watch the video.

[@tiptoe38]

@@charmerci I watched and still just a show,that’s y so many of those companies failed.

[@charmerci]

@@tiptoe38- yeah , you're right. Since over a 100 American car manufacturers failed beginning with the letter A, that crazy invention called cars will NEVER catch on either.

[@scpdatabase969]

What is the ROI of having to retrofit the trucks? Is the sensor suite enough for snowy conditions? What is their investment rate into AI training? Since these guys are all leaders from other autonomy firms, I am surprised they didn't speak more on these things.

[@armanromana1580]

theyre going to start on the easiest routed first and then work on harder and harder routes. its organic growth

[@scpdatabase969]

@@armanromana1580 At the cost of billions per year... It was such an expense that even big tech companies gave up. There's no organic growth in these scenarios. I think Musk has the right idea with his companies. Make one product that is compelling to fund your other related dream. SpaceX utilizing Starlink to fund mars. Tesla utilizing EV's and energy storage to fund self-driving. It is a hard sell to invest in a company that has no profitable product to sell.

[@MrLittlecat123]

When machine come into our life, people claim that in the future human only need to work 2 to 3 hours a day! Right.... Now we need to work even more due to competition and lack of vacancy... I believe same case with this technology. 100 years later, No people know how to drive then the company would charge a lot more on delivery fee...

[@travisyarbrough4033]

As a truck driver at 52. This is very stupid and a HUGE liability. 70,000 pounds at highway speeds ???? Just plain stupid as hell. Once ONE of these things crashes ...... This will be over and these things will be scraped right after these companies claim bankruptcy and don't pay out for all the death and destruction their dreams caused. How many of these folks actually drove a truck before Over The Road ???? Dirty sensors and " Safety " Drivers falling asleep ..... Good luck out there folks. These businesses don't care about safety hardly at all, Just a profit and begging for more money every 5 years.

[@PressKevinToContinue]

Laws should force a driver to still be behind the wheel

[@Raymund-Swales]

Live in Key West. If all the vehicles were self driving and communicating together it would work. No way a big truck could negotiate in the old town sector without a skilled driver. But one day. One day.....

[@evangelistajohnfrancis5704]

Sheesshhh It's a Productive Innovation, Imagine a Truck that will not Stop Because The Driver needs a Sleep or Need to rest, The Productivity Will Increase

[@richardbutt1450]

Having trucks that can "see further and better" doesn't mean jack when you're getting passed every 30 seconds by trucks that actually drive the speed limit and merge 10' off your bumper like the steering wheel holders today do. At that point the best an autonomous truck can do is slow down for increased following distance, leading to even more cars and trucks passing the autonomous truck.

[@austingilbert9350]

As a truck driver, my worst nightmare is waking up in my sleeper berth, with a team driver who is losing control of our truck. If I had a tough accepting a team driver's quality of driving, why or how could I trust a driver less truck? America get ready for a serious heartbreak...😭

[@DrivenA111]

I’m guessing the truck will actually be better on average than a human. Your teammate would still be in the seat in case something goes wrong, I’m thinking.

[@JunkSock]

Why don’t we ever hear about AI on trains to start with??

[@mirzaahmed6589]

That's absolutely a thing. Just because you haven't heard about something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

[@Chosen2banonymous]

It's a thing. They just have a union that's been fighting against it for years now.

[@ahannam7817]

How well do the sensors work covered with Snow and Ice?

[@gridjac]

It’d be cool if that can pair this with EVs too, so the trucks could automatically charge.

[@imbalancedstatus8824]

You need to address the issue of human drivers on the road

[@ImpreccablePony]

It would be better to just automate trains. Trains are better than EVs.

[@DrivenA111]

@@imbalancedstatus8824Relevance?

[@dsimon2108]

Truck companies in 2023: We care about all of our employees and their family🙂 Truck companies in 2040: We care about all of our trucks. We have no need for employees and their ugly family🤮

[@ocampbell1954]

Or maybe see where the industry is going and learn those skills. Imagine that. You sound like one of those coal mine workers. All this autonomous tech will require engineers, programmers, technicians,etc. How about learn that skill.

[@danstafford5977]

Can autonomous trucks pull flatbed and oversize loads?

[@peppapigthekiller7539]

There should always be a driver no matter what. Even if it is a Super Cruise like system. I don’t want us to replace workers.

[@DrivenA111]

I believe they mentioned someone would be in the seat. They may not get paid as much however.

[@Pallidus_Rider]

Autonomous vehicles make the most sense on rail, where there could be more, perhaps smaller ones, that work like clockwork 🤔

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Going driverless means not getting cut off by some guy with an attitude and no more sleepy drivers who loose control of their rigs 😊

[@Paypaboy900]

You 4 wheelers will still find yourself underneathe one of them 😂

[@arynpittaway9790]

This is the future, and the possibilities are limitless. Just as autopilot in planes, and Tesla self-driving cars, and Amazon deliveries, and our need to move and buy goods, groceries and things as a society...this Aurora driver will be much more needed. The OTR drivers that suffer from home away and health problems due to constant driving, becoming older and a lack of physical activity will be a huge space as well. There will be opportunities for employment for drivers with Class A CDL's that understand the industry and needs of driving and safety. All roads in the U.S. may eventually need to be learned with the help of a safety driver as well. This all goes along with the enormous safety advantages! The only tough thing I see is more breakdowns due to causing the trucks to run non-stop, but this is the problem of manufacturers. When the trucks run more efficiently, they also won't be stressed as much. Lots to plan for and look forward to. Congratulations Aurora and keep up the good work!

[@adamkwiatkowski4107]

Everyone so worried about new tech, and here they're watching it on their smart phones.

[@ironvoice5079]

Promising technology however, we are still away from it. All the car companies that have claimed to be ready to go self driving have ended up with cars involved in terrible accidents. I just can't imagine the amounts of damage an 80K pounds could potentially cause while driving around.