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Can the driver-less truck put chains on its tires in the winter? I didn't think so. I'm sure that we'll make use of the tech we have but there is so much more

Can the driver-less truck put chains on its tires in the winter? I didn't think so. I'm sure that we'll make use of the tech we have but there is so much more to driving a truck than driving. Maybe the "drivers" will be able to climb in the back and sleep while the truck does they driving and they can take care of everything else.

l33tbro 12y ago
This is why I think the "driver" will shift more to a "captain" type archetype. Ie, driverless road-trains will travel in fleets and there will be a mechanic somewhere in that convoy to deal with breaking down in dead of nowhere. Also hard not to imagine this guy being armed.
- tdicola 12y ago
  What is the advantage of this system over the modern railway system? Trains can go faster, don't have to stop for traffic, and can carry far more goods than trucks.
  - wombatpm 12y ago
    Amazingly, people live where rail is not an option. The interstate system offers more possibilities than rail. Rail also does not deliver to your door.
    - gaadd33 12y ago
      What parts of the country don't have rail as an option? Pretty much the entire US is covered in rail, especially around population centers since that's why many developed there in the first place. Most people don't get tractor trailer deliveries to their door so a driverless truck wouldn't have an advantage there.
      - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        That's pretty much a tautology - cities exist because trains went there. I live in a state covered with extinct towns, because the tracks went another way back in the day. But sadly those tracks are bicycle trails or even roads now. Eminent domain space is problematical; rails always go interesting places; tracks have largely disappeared from the landscape by having their route repurposed.
        gaadd33 12y ago
        Right but I'm curious if, as the GP claimed, there were any population centers in the US not well connected via rail. It's possible that when the interstates were built, that they created new population centers not connected by rail but I'm unaware of any. Do you know of any?
        JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        Certainly interstate highways had an effect - they squashed growth in towns NOT visited. Unless you have a freeway exit in or near your small town, it can't grow today. Similar to the way rail did the job a century earlier.
      - wombatpm 12y ago
        I work in the logistics industry. Just because there are railroad tracks through a town, does not mean there are active stops. Also, while most people do not get tractor trailer delivers to their door, most business do. Especially for items too large to send via UPS or FedEx. Total US public highways miles: 161K [1] Total US Railroads miles (Class I):100K [2] [1]https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hs01/hm41.htm https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hs01/hm41.htm [2]http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/transportation/a_freightrr.html http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/transportation/a_freig...
- qbrass 12y ago
  Captain? You mean servant to the machines. Why would the robot's pet be armed? Only the stupidest bandits would threaten the poor meatbag instead of paying them to cause the breakdown in the first place.
- PhasmaFelis 12y ago
  Armed? What, so he can get in a shootout with the robbers? When I worked at a convenience store, you could get fired for not cooperating with robbers. No company wants to deal with the PR and liability nightmare of some poor schmuck getting gunned down trying to defend a truckload of Cheetos, or the $200 in the register. The policy everywhere is "keep your head down, do everything the bad guys tell you to, and call the police when they leave." And, similarly, no robber wants the kind of police attention that murder brings. Certainly there's a risk of some fucked-up tweaker getting all trigger-happy, but 99 times out of a hundred they won't hurt you as long as you cooperate.
icebraining 12y ago
Can the driver-less truck put chains on its tires in the winter? http://www.onspot.com/ http://www.onspot.com/

l33tbro 12y ago

This is why I think the "driver" will shift more to a "captain" type archetype. Ie, driverless road-trains will travel in fleets and there will be a mechanic somewhere in that convoy to deal with breaking down in dead of nowhere. Also hard not to imagine this guy being armed.

tdicola 12y ago
What is the advantage of this system over the modern railway system? Trains can go faster, don't have to stop for traffic, and can carry far more goods than trucks.
- wombatpm 12y ago
  Amazingly, people live where rail is not an option. The interstate system offers more possibilities than rail. Rail also does not deliver to your door.
  - gaadd33 12y ago
    What parts of the country don't have rail as an option? Pretty much the entire US is covered in rail, especially around population centers since that's why many developed there in the first place. Most people don't get tractor trailer deliveries to their door so a driverless truck wouldn't have an advantage there.
    - JoeAltmaier 12y ago
      That's pretty much a tautology - cities exist because trains went there. I live in a state covered with extinct towns, because the tracks went another way back in the day. But sadly those tracks are bicycle trails or even roads now. Eminent domain space is problematical; rails always go interesting places; tracks have largely disappeared from the landscape by having their route repurposed.
      - gaadd33 12y ago
        Right but I'm curious if, as the GP claimed, there were any population centers in the US not well connected via rail. It's possible that when the interstates were built, that they created new population centers not connected by rail but I'm unaware of any. Do you know of any?
        JoeAltmaier 12y ago
        Certainly interstate highways had an effect - they squashed growth in towns NOT visited. Unless you have a freeway exit in or near your small town, it can't grow today. Similar to the way rail did the job a century earlier.
    - wombatpm 12y ago
      I work in the logistics industry. Just because there are railroad tracks through a town, does not mean there are active stops. Also, while most people do not get tractor trailer delivers to their door, most business do. Especially for items too large to send via UPS or FedEx. Total US public highways miles: 161K [1] Total US Railroads miles (Class I):100K [2] [1]https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hs01/hm41.htm https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/hs01/hm41.htm [2]http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/transportation/a_freightrr.html http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/transportation/a_freig...
qbrass 12y ago
Captain? You mean servant to the machines. Why would the robot's pet be armed? Only the stupidest bandits would threaten the poor meatbag instead of paying them to cause the breakdown in the first place.
PhasmaFelis 12y ago
Armed? What, so he can get in a shootout with the robbers? When I worked at a convenience store, you could get fired for not cooperating with robbers. No company wants to deal with the PR and liability nightmare of some poor schmuck getting gunned down trying to defend a truckload of Cheetos, or the $200 in the register. The policy everywhere is "keep your head down, do everything the bad guys tell you to, and call the police when they leave." And, similarly, no robber wants the kind of police attention that murder brings. Certainly there's a risk of some fucked-up tweaker getting all trigger-happy, but 99 times out of a hundred they won't hurt you as long as you cooperate.

icebraining 12y ago

Can the driver-less truck put chains on its tires in the winter? http://www.onspot.com/ http://www.onspot.com/