Waymo picks Atlanta for it's autonomous truck pilot program (car registration, insurance)

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by Stormhammer

Well that didn't take very long

Not at all. I guess, the truck was already on the road to Atlanta .

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by Stormhammer

I highly doubt that, considering things like automated parking and parallel parking have been about for the past 10-15 years. There's already systems successfully being tested.

Standard parking and parallel parking are very different from backing a semi truck into a dock, especially given the multitudes of dock style.

Also, people mistake autonomous vs automated.

Autonomous still means there is a human at the wheel ( usually in case something goes awry with the computer - e.g. the automated bus that's on the north point corridor ) vs automated means no human presence.

Hence why I said that it'll be a long time before the truck does it on its own...

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

Backing into the dock is actually fairly easy to automate. No other unpredictable vehicles, the dock hasn't moved since the last time, etc. And before you go there, I drove a semi locally for a brief period while in college.

I was in entertainment touring for 7 years from the late 90s to mid 2000s, and have been in entertainment since. We have lots of trucks and go to lots of docks. A basic warehouse dock is one thing. The vast differences in docks amongst arenas, convention centers, theatres, museums, etc...it's mind boggling. And a lot of them require quite a bit of expertise to get into, with a lot of obstacles to work around. One I remember fondly is the dock set 25' back into the building, with 6" of clearance around the door, and a small 2-lane road with a narrow sidewalk as your space to maneuver.

I wouldn't recommend truck driving as an occupation for anyone right now.

It'll be a long time before drivers are no longer driving trucks.

[tikigod311]

I see no reason why backing up to a dock wouldn't be one of the most simple activities a computer driven truck will encounter.

You just need a couple/few target type images and the truck will align to those targets and use proximity sensors to figure out when to stop. This would be super easy for warehouses to implement. These targets could literally be stickers

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I see no reason why backing up to a dock wouldn't be one of the most simple activities a computer driven truck will encounter.

You just need a couple/few target type images and the truck will align to those targets and use proximity sensors to figure out when to stop. This would be super easy for warehouses to implement. These targets could literally be stickers

Do you have a CDL?

Dude, I've been all over the country in a 18 Wheeler. Everything you say sounds beautiful in theory, but in practice..thousands of docks throughout the country would have to be reconstructed to handle automated trucks backing into them. Some of them are cut way into the backwoods with narrow driveways and steep drop offs, others require backing into them in the middle of a busy city intersection.

Also, it doesn't matter how autonomous we make things, there will always be unaccounted variables and I state this as a computer programmer (Python / C++) whom is also a Network Engineer. I see basic routers and switches that handle the very internet this forum is routed through that can't get it right without human intervention and now we're trusting large vehicles in the public to computers? nuh-uh... not for me -- Same goes for scripting, even to date your simple windows computer is quite capable of having errors, imagine something ten fold more complex as a self driving vehicle. Theory vs Realty are too different things.

As for people causing 1,500 deaths statewide, I've seen it - but in reality 98% of accidents can be avoided if people took driving more seriously. Taking the best potent driver versus the best potent machine, the human driver will win hands down as a driver does not need anyone to script / code anything into his mind as to how to react to a situation and will always be more flexible than a computer, a computer can only do exactly what its programmed to do, but not every situation can be accounted for in coding. What needs to happen is stop letting these idiots on the highway get away with lawless driving and taking more responsibility on the road.

Here in Georgia I have literally seen drivers run stop signs on their drivers test with the instructor inside the car WITH them and they STILL get a license and are amongst you and I... so we wonder why there's such a high fatality rate.. And Georgia is far from the most chaotic driving state I have been to (New York, California, Chicago, All of Texas easily top the chaos of driving we have here.) When I am in a car, I take it as if my life is on the line (because truly it is) and I maintain mental awareness of everything I possibly can while driving within reason of the law, this is all it truly takes.

[brown_dog_us]

The AV trucks won't do the tough jobs where the drive and delivery are complicated. They'll do the run from the Port of Savannah to a distribution center south of town where everything is easy.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by tikigod311

I see no reason why backing up to a dock wouldn't be one of the most simple activities a computer driven truck will encounter.

You just need a couple/few target type images and the truck will align to those targets and use proximity sensors to figure out when to stop. This would be super easy for warehouses to implement. These targets could literally be stickers

You have to remember that a truck and trailer are two parts that swivel and sometimes act oddly. I imagine that it's not super simple to program. And again, loading docks are not all just simple squares on a large, flat, paved area.

Take things like The Atlanta Ballet's docks (overhead)....two narrow loading doors in a crowded parking lot, with no room to turn around.
Or The Fox Theatre's loading dock (overhead)...back up into a narrow alley from a narrow street with cars parked and a fire hydrant.
The Fort Lauderdale Museum of Art's dock (overhead)....narrow door, narrow road with obstacles and parking, and the actual dock is about 25' back into that door.
Then you have many arena docks where you have to navigate an underground labyrinth of columns while backing in.

Loading docks are not easy.

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

The AV trucks won't do the tough jobs where the drive and delivery are complicated. They'll do the run from the Port of Savannah to a distribution center south of town where everything is easy.

Exactly. I can easily see them doing these types of routes. Large, flat, open space specifically designed for freight to large, flat open space specifically designed for freight, on large, wide interstate highway.

[stoxdiamond]

Lots of push back coming against autonomous driving here. Truckers in this thread scared for their job security?

Completely autonomous driving is not going to be seen on the roads in the near future. There will still be a driver's seat passenger available to override and take control if necessary. The driver can also be available to do the complex docking that's being discussed here.

That being said, computer vision/AI is still in its infancy but some of the smartest engineers in the world are working on this and don't be surprised to see vehicles being fully autonomous in the future. It's entirely plausible for them to drive much better than humans in the future. Humans often overestimate themselves. When driving, you're just 1 set of eyes connected to a pair of arms and a leg. Autonomous vehicles will have optical sensors all around the vehicle to achieve a complete 360 degree view at all times, with instant reaction times.

However, if you're a truck driver in your 40s, there's no cause for alarm. By the time your profession is replaced by optical sensors and a computer, you will already be retired. To other naysayers, you should be more optimistic about the prospects of technology, as it will continue to improve our quality of life.

[MattCW]

Actually, in terms of automating a trailer backing up, it shouldn't be too hard. My F-150 already has a trailer assist feature where the backup camera senses a sticker on the trailer, and you steer with a small knob under the main steering wheel. You just turn the knob in the direction you want the trailer to go and it steers accordingly. With that, all that's left to do is figure out how to send the trailer where you want it to go. But that's a lot harder when dealing with obstacles and such.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by MattCW

Actually, in terms of automating a trailer backing up, it shouldn't be too hard. My F-150 already has a trailer assist feature where the backup camera senses a sticker on the trailer, and you steer with a small knob under the main steering wheel. You just turn the knob in the direction you want the trailer to go and it steers accordingly. With that, all that's left to do is figure out how to send the trailer where you want it to go. But that's a lot harder when dealing with obstacles and such.

How does the knob steer the trailer? Does the hitch adjust?

[MattCW]

No, it turns the steering wheel.