# Autonomous Semi Tractors **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208 "2020-03-17T00:59:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/22 "2020-03-17T16:41:14Z")
While your stats are valid, they thing you’re not addressing is the fact that semi truck accidents cause significant more damage then cars due to their shear size. Statistically, there are more car accidents because there are more cars. But I do agree truckers as a whole are better/safer drivers…unfortunately not all of them are. There is no doubt the driving factor for autonomous semi’s cost, but also lack of drivers. There’s a huge shortage of truckers in the US right now. Why the push for semi’s vs cars…believe it or not - it’s easier. Especially long haul trucking. The start of autonomous trucks will be interstates ONLY. When/If that goes well they’ll slowly start moving out to, other areas. Even after full implementation - they may realize that autonomous trucks may not be allowed in certain places. As I’ve stated many times…it’s still in it’s infancy, and changing daily. ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 4:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/23 "2020-03-17T16:51:03Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > I saw something a couple years ago about truckers driving in a whiteout in Alaska. They were testing a radar system that looked for guard rails IIRC. Now that is something of interest. A couple years before I retired I left work early to avoid a snow storm. Ran right into it on the way home. Pulled off the freeway to hole up in a parking area for a while but it was filled so had to keep moving and took the old 2 lane road for the next 15 miles. Total white out, couldn’t see a thing, couldn’t stop anywhere, just had to keep going till the next truck stop. I rolled my side window down and the only way I knew where I was on the road was to look for the weeds in the opposite ditch. Stopped at the truck stop until the plows came through. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 5:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/24 "2020-03-17T17:10:25Z")
As far as being smart I am glad that there are people like you or I would be in trouble with a lot of thing’s as I only have a 5th grade education and I don’t know what all I don’t know. I actualy graduated high school with sailer’s grade’s (below C level) but when my daughter was in the 5th grade she asked me for help with her home work one time I looked at the book and to me it looked like it was written greek that is why I say I have a 5th grade education. Back to car’s the only thing I would attempt to do on a new car would be to change a tire. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/25 "2020-03-17T23:38:43Z")
I tried to help my daughter with her math homework, I am pretty good at math, something like if whatever loses an atom what is it’s new atomic weight. I was expecting algebra or something similar for a freshman in high school. Taught her how to change a tire before she needed to use the info, and she did. We are headed towards automated vehicles be it cars or trucks, but remembering Chicago unions, they require rear unload cement trucks as it takes 2 people, the same city that mandated lead services for water until 1986. Sometimes saving the old school is not necessarily an advancement in productivity or safety. ---
**Author:** ![Renegade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Renegade](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Renegade)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 12:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/26 "2020-03-18T00:02:08Z")
I don’t remember what the problem was but it was math that I was never good at as I said it was like reading greek. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/27 "2020-03-18T00:35:49Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > Consider for second facial recognition software. It can determine your identity with very small variations in features. I seem to recall there was facial recognition software that mistook some human beings for certain non-human primates . . . I believe this was very recently, maybe last year ---
**Author:** ![chunkyazian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@chunkyazian](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chunkyazian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/28 "2020-03-18T01:36:16Z")
The way image recognition works is by showing the software a huge collection of pixels representing a human fotos and identify them as human. And you would do the same for a bunch of 4 legged animals. Using some fancy calculus and linear algebra, the software minimizes the difference between its identification and yours. This is known as training the software and more examples you have the better. However, each identification made by the computer is just a `probability` value If you don’t have enough examples, it might assign an animal standing on 2 feet as a human shape thing with a high probability value Having said the above, I’m ok with increasing the hour of operation and the driver’s role would be monitoring ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 3:48am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/29 "2020-03-18T03:48:03Z")
> [@Barkydog](#): > > Chicago unions, they require rear unload cement trucks as it takes 2 people, Yeah St. Paul required elevator operators for automatic elevators too for quite a while. The job was cushy but had its ups and downs. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. Don’t flag me bro. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 4:11am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/30 "2020-03-18T04:11:52Z")
> [@chunkyazian](#): > > I’m ok with increasing the hour of operation and the driver’s role would be monitoring as long as it turns out better than that incident involving the self-driving car . . . with the human driver behind the wheel, but only monitoring . . . and the bicyclist I understand that the woman on the bicycle suddenly veered into the path of the car . . . but she’s dead just the same ---
**Author:** ![chunkyazian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@chunkyazian](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chunkyazian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 4:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/31 "2020-03-18T04:13:07Z")
It didn’t help that the complacent monitor was watching the voice instead of listening ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 5:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/32 "2020-03-18T05:58:46Z")
To me at least it’s a lot more boring to be watching someone or a computer drive than it is to actually drive. I can’t imagine doing that for ten hours straight and not get bleary eyed. Maybe if they could talk on the phone or something. ---
**Author:** ![chunkyazian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@chunkyazian](https://community.cartalk.com/u/chunkyazian)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 11:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/33 "2020-03-18T11:10:39Z")
Same here. But you are not going to pay some to flip a switch then sit there and watch. You can order the monitor to make periodic report on the machines status during the trip, get out every 2 hours to check on the cargo, hit a deadman switch periodically, etc ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 2:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/34 "2020-03-18T14:02:56Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > I seem to recall there was facial recognition software that mistook some human beings for certain non-human primates . . . I believe this was very recently, maybe last year Not all facial recognition software is the same. Some are very good…others aren’t. > **[Facial recognition: top 7 trends (tech, vendors, use cases)](https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/government/biometrics/facial-recognition)** > > Facial recognition is a hot topic and somewhat controversial. Discover 7 trends likely to shape the face recognition landscape for the next 2 years. Just 10 years the error rate was well over 20%. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2020, 5:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/35 "2020-03-18T17:19:44Z")
I would imagine that vehicles like this > **[Road train](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_train)** > > A road train, land train or long combination vehicle is a trucking vehicle of a type used in rural and remote areas of Australia and in the United States and Europe, to move road freight more efficiently. It consists of two or more trailers or semi-trailers hauled by a prime mover. Long combination vehicles are combinations of multiple trailers on tractor trucks as compared to standard 5 axle semi trailer-trucks with one trailer. > Early road trains consisted of traction engines pulling multiple... on long hauls only would be used with AI auto pilot to take control for long stretches with a warm blooded qualified driver in charge. ---
**Author:** ![oldtimer-11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e79b87/32.png) [@oldtimer-11](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldtimer-11)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/36 "2020-03-20T03:00:35Z")
There is no point to having a self driving truck with a driver on board monitoring. It would be much easier to stay awake and alert for 10 or 11 hours, If you are actually driving the truck, using major muscle groups and bouncing around the cab on bad pavement. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/37 "2020-03-20T15:02:32Z")
> [@oldtimer-11](#): > > There is no point to having a self driving truck with a driver on board monitoring That would be an interim solution. For drivers, I guess nanny duty is better than losing your job. I agree that having to stay engaged in driving makes responding when required a lot quicker. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/38 "2020-03-20T15:06:15Z")
This is an interesting read about autonomous trucking. From an insider, no less. > **[The Failure Of This Self-Driving Truck Company Tells You All You Need To Know...](https://jalopnik.com/the-failure-of-this-self-driving-truck-company-tells-yo-1842417033)** > > Starsky Robotics is a self-driving truck company that was the first company to run an unmanned semi on a public highway. It’s now shutting down though, and its co-founder has some unusually sensible and honest things to say about the industry,... ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/39 "2020-03-20T15:15:51Z")
Maybe semi-autonomous trucks could be controlled remotely, like the military drones. One operator could monitor several trucks, and take over if the AI gets confused. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/40 "2020-03-20T15:27:47Z")
If autonomous control was totally fail safe then trains would have no crews I would think. Is anyone actually researching that possibility? ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 3:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208/41 "2020-03-20T15:34:41Z")
> [@Rod\_Knox](#): > > If autonomous control was totally fail safe then trains would have no crews I would think. Is anyone actually researching that possibility? In London, the _Docklands Light Railway_ is fully automated, and has been running since **1987** without anyone at the controls of each train! I have to admit that I was somewhat alarmed by that situation when I first rode those trains, but their safety record has been good over the past 33 years, with the last “accident” taking place in 1991. > **[Docklands Light Railway](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docklands_Light_Railway)** > > The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system primarily serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London and providing a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of London. First opened on 31 August 1987, the DLR has been extended multiple times, giving a total route length of 38 km (24 miles). Lines now reach north to Stratford, south to Lewisham, west to Tower Gateway and Bank in the City of London financial district, ... [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/autonomous-semi-tractors/161208.md?page=3)