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As cool as the concept is, no, I don't think so. A line of self driving trucks can break up for any reason (cars getting between two trucks, messy junctions, an
by Udik 10y ago
As cool as the concept is, no, I don't think so. A line of self driving trucks can break up for any reason (cars getting between two trucks, messy junctions, an isolated accident or malfunction). At that point you need again full autonomous driving, as you can't stop a whole column of trucks on the emergency lane, run to the one that got stuck (and the rest of the column behind it) and make it catch up with the rest.
- PhasmaFelis 10y agoAI-controlled trucks can drive nearly bumper-to-bumper, because there needn't be any reaction-time delay. If the lead truck hits the brakes, every other truck in the column can brake instantly, and with exactly the same pressure. It effectively becomes a single road train with no space in between. Messy junctions can be avoided as long as you stay on the highway proper and don't pass through cities; with this plan, you'd have short-haul truckers at either end for the first-and-last mile work, with the AIs handling the cross-country part. As for accidents or malfunctions--why can't you stop a column of trucks in the breakdown lane? I'm assuming that the trucks would have at least limited self-parking ability, since that seems to be at least as easy as highway driving for a development standpoint.