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Not to mention that it can drive 24/7 when necessary, turning it into a mobile freight train.
by Klover 8y ago
Not to mention that it can drive 24/7 when necessary, turning it into a mobile freight train.
- onemoresoop 8y agoSelf service at the gas station?
- Klover 8y agoI think that if you can figure out self driving trucks, you can figure out keeping it fueled as well. As a quick and easy solution I would imagine large enough fuel tanks on the truck itself, and a couple of gas stations with people fueling the trucks at places. One for every large industrial place would already make it very widespread. Another solution would be mechanical arms attaching to the truck.
- snerbles 8y agoSee Shell Oil's SmartPump...from 1997: https://robotnews.wordpress.com/2006/04/07/service-robots-shell-smart-pump-2/ https://robotnews.wordpress.com/2006/04/07/service-robots-sh...
- dragonwriter 8y agoWorst case, it signals a human fueler in advance of it's anticipated need to stop for gas, and the fueler meets it and handles fueling. Over time, though, building a network of compatible automated fueling stations to support the trucks makes sense, and you can use data from the trucks for siting decisions.
- a3n 8y agoYou can always pay a human to do what a computer can't, until it can. Some truck stop fuel islands have a lane where a human will come out and check/fill your tires. You pay for the service, and it's not much. Most humans, or the occupations, are cheap, as you can see when you think about all those humans paid to stand on street corners and wave signs. Cheaper than paying to plant the sign on property, and a cheap enough workaround when you can't plant the sign at any price.
- the_mitsuhiko 8y agoNot sure how the laws in the US are but most of Europe has deiving restrictions for trucks at night and weekends.
- Klover 8y agoWhich is what I was thinking of making it such a boon. Drivers need breaks, commutes, limited time of driving per day.
- shadowtree 8y ago:) Those regulations protect the people living next to heavy routes, not the drivers. Similar to how airports cannot operate 24/7.
- windows_tips 8y agoDo you know what a global boon it would be if I could operate a cryptomine in your bedroom?
- a3n 8y ago>> Drivers need breaks, commutes, limited time of driving per day. > Those regulations protect the people living next to heavy routes, not the drivers. They're talking about amount of time in a driver's day spent driving, not what part of the day they drive. And those regs definitely are to protect the drivers, as well as all other involved parties and stakeholders. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hours_of_service https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hours_of_service
- the_mitsuhiko 8y agoI’m not talking about the driver limitations but truck bans. Example from Austria: https://www.asfinag.at/traffic/hgv-bus/lorry-driving-bans/ https://www.asfinag.at/traffic/hgv-bus/lorry-driving-bans/ Semi complete list for europe: http://www.lkw-walter.com/en/carrier/useful-info/public-holidays-with-driving-ban http://www.lkw-walter.com/en/carrier/useful-info/public-holi...
- kennydude 8y agoOr just run actual freight trains which require very little humans and are quite effecient.
- Piskvorrr 8y agoTheir problem is the huge infrastructure cost up front - this was built for cars as the interstate network...mostly during the Cold War, as a dual-use technology (military transports on railway are far more easily sabotaged).