The average length of haul in the trucking industry has been steadily declining over the past 15 years from a thousand miles to under 500, affecting the importance of self-driving trucks. Publicly subsidized training may be available to those who lose their job due to foreign trade or are veterans using their GI benefits to become a truck driver.
This transcript discusses the massive opportunity for disruption and cost savings in the logistics industry by leveraging autonomous vehicles and new technology to expand route feasibility and transportation options for goods.
The future of robotics lies in collaborative projects where experts from different fields come together to optimize the technology. Moving towards a robotics-based logistics system requires a team with expertise in perception, planning, mechanical engineering, autonomous driving, and computer science in order to innovate beyond what has already been developed.
The majority of intelligence in autonomous truck systems will be on the truck itself, with sensors potentially equipped in the hub. Some companies are exploring the idea of Waymo-equipped autonomous trucks for certain routes with human drivers on non-autonomous routes.
The density of connected vehicles on the road can allow for real-time dynamic information sharing such as accidents and construction zones, which can help with decision making for other cars nearby. This technology can potentially lead to safer roads and smarter traffic flow.