Autonomous Truck Drivers

Self driving trucks are not controlled by people but are controlled by machinery. There is either someone monitoring the truck from a different state or there is a chip in the trucks system. Most people think that a self driving truck is not safe because computers can be hacked. Being hacked is the biggest threat for self driving trucks. It

Imagine a future with zero car accidents and taking a nap while going down the road. Imagine a future where there are no drivers, only passengers. And not just that, but imagine not worrying about having accidents or high insurance payments. With driverless vehicles, car accidents will drastically diminish and insurance rates will decrease, meaning they could have a better impact on the economy. Driverless vehicles will benefit society given that they will reduce accidents, can improve traffic flow by enhancing its efficiency, and protect the environment from harmful fuel emissions.

In the article, “Will Self-Driving Cars be Good for America” (March 10, 2016), Robert Peterson argues that America is ready for self-driving cars to take over the streets. The author first reports the statistics of car related accidents in America, and how much the damages have cost in all; he then presents all the benefits of autnomous cars by discussing how it will benefit people of all ages by limiting expenses, and being able to reach a destination without the need for a license; and to conclude, he then finishes his article by alerting the audience that they need to get ready for what’s about to happen to the automotive industry in America. His purpose is to inform the reader in order to convince them that autonomous cars are the only

    Google's self driving cars have driven almost a million miles. People are suggesting that their next invention will be self driving diesels. Then the fear is that the response system will not be up to par and vehicle accidents will increase ten fold. Along with that, jobs will be put in jeopardy. Taxi drivers will be slowly laid off, and truck drivers will be plucked

Are Americans ready for cars that can drive themselves?, will it be safe for “ai’s” on the road instead of normal human drivers?, and how will this be beneficial to traffic, crashes, and time? In the Newsela article, “pro/con: self-driving cars are just around the corner. Is it a good thing?”, By Tribune News Service, Self-driving cars remove many of the human mistakes that cause injuries and deaths. Self-driving cars can also help disabled and elderly people get from place to place on their own. The self-driving cars that are now being developed use many forms of technology to drive themselves. Radar, cameras and other devices are used to "see" the world around the car. Advanced computer systems drive the car from one destination to another without any help from humans. Self-driving cars offer such a wealth of advantages that it makes little difference whether Americans are ready. Americans need to get ready. Self-driving cars will soon be in their rearview mirrors.

He includes organizations and people who work at a high level in different automobile industries to convey what each of their perspective is upon the idea of self-driving cars. Hence, he also used direct quotes from young Americans who don’t own a car to demonstrate having a car isn’t necessary, and demonstrates how these mobility services might impact automotive industries and smaller companies as well. Despite Boudette’s lack of adding to the text the negative perspective of autonomous vehicles, he does manage to open the minds of many citizens upon the idea of having self-driving cars in the near future is a positive thing for our growing society and how it may benefit the automobile industries as

hard to see any negative effects, however those affected in society by the use of

“Self-Driving Trucks May Be Closer Than They Appear” article was written by New York Times journalist Conor Dougherty. The article basis was about the recent invention of the self driving car also known as the Tesla and how self driving trucks were starting to make an appearance in the self driving car industry because of the benefits it would have. Quoted in the article, “Trucking is a $700 billion industry that touches every corner of the economy. Trucks haul natural resources from mines to forests.” (Dougherty) Many more reasons are stated in the article about the vast use of trucks for transportation in the article. It also states the worldwide benefit of having self-driving trucks in the economy.

Most people believe that these self-driving cars are going to make our roads much safer than they are with human drivers. According to an article titled “Road Crash Statistics” by the Association for Safe International Road Travel, “nearly 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year, on average 3,287 a day.” They also claim that road crashes is the ninth leading cause of death. Obviously automobiles are dangerous, but they are also very effective for transportation. According to Statista there were over 7 million cars sold to U.S. customers in 2014. Even though automobiles have caused so many deaths, most people really need them.

Now, consider how automation will affect shipping and the truck driving industry. There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States according to the American Trucker Association. Last May, the first self-driving truck had a successful test in Nevada. This truck was built by a a company called Freightliner, which has said that their trucks are beginning a 10-year testing phase before determining whether the technology is ready for widespread adoption. These drivers make a solid middle-class income of roughly $40,000 per

Since the beginning of self-driving cars which first began in 1925 with the creation of the Houdina Radio Control; a car operated by two cars, a transmitter, and an antenna, to now - the futuristic dream of these autonomous cars have transformed into the reality of cars we see now. These cars are nothing short of the new technology advances that have occurred over the past decade. However, with these advances many question whether or not these cars are ready to be sold, due to the fatal accident that occurred May 2016 involving the autonomous Tesla and a white truck. Due to the Tesla not being able to detect the white tractor because of technological issues, the tesla failed to stop, and since the driver was not prepared to steer, it lead to the fatal collision eventually leading to the death of the tesla owner. With the increase of these cars on the road, from companies like BMW, Daimler, Ford, Apple, Uber, and Google, this poses a serious threat to not only the people operating this autonomous vehicle but also to the surrounding drivers. I believe that autonomous cars should not be put on the road, and that these cars are not beneficial to the population.

The rapid advancement in technology is beneficial and detrimental. As a current undergraduate student it is scary to see how technology has eliminated or replaced countless jobs. At the rate we are going many jobs will be replaced by a machine. The articles examines how self-driving vehicles will affect the overall economy. I always believed that self-driving was a thing of the future and this article has changed my perspective because it is now closer than ever. The pros of a self-driving truck is that they will able to drive 24 hours which means goods will be delivered at a quicker rate and stipulate the labor force. Having employees come with a major cost such as salaries, health coverage, etc. In the perspective of a business owner, reducing

Google has announced that their self-driving cars will be on the road in two to five years. The company hopes that they will in America by 2020 but even if they are not people wonder if they will be safe and if we are ready to share the road with these vehicles. I believe that we will be ready for self-driving cars on the roads because we already have vehicles with system to prevent collisions such as early warnings and automatic lane changing from tesla motors. John Villasenor is a professor of electrical engineering and public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, he is also a member of the World Economic Forum's Global

Another concern is if autonomous vehicles were to be placed, jobs such as taxi drivers, bus drivers, or truck drivers would not be available. According to the United States Department of Labor, there are 233,700 current taxi drivers, 665,000 current bus drivers, and 1,330,000 current truck drivers in the United States (Overly). People in these occupations will most likely be forced to find new jobs or possibly be unemployed. Uber has also stated that they are interested in self-driving cars and will implement them in the future which further causes problems that are working in the driving occupation ("Self-driving vehicles?”).

Highway Administration, the average American driver drives almost 40 miles every day (FHA, 2011). Given how heavily vehicles are used today, especially in the United States, their replacement with autonomous vehicles could easily have far-reaching implications.