Waymo picks Atlanta for it's autonomous truck pilot program (safe, cars)

[Stormhammer]

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-a...-idUSKCN1GL20W

I know we have the North Ave smart corridor already and there being pilot programs associated with that, but I'm beyond intrigued by this. Hopefully the program bodes well!

[brown_dog_us]

Keep your eyes peeled.

“If you are in the Atlanta area, look for a bright blue Waymo truck making a run,” Waymo said.

[ATL Golfer]

You'd think they would want to start out with fewer obstacles and work their way up.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

You'd think they would want to start out with fewer obstacles and work their way up.

That was my thought.

[samiwas1]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

You'd think they would want to start out with fewer obstacles and work their way up.

Maybe they just want to throw it into the gauntlet and see how long it takes for it to smash into something, and refine their software from there.

[Stormhammer]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

You'd think they would want to start out with fewer obstacles and work their way up.

There's already infrastructure in place in Atlanta for autonomous vehicles.

Paired with how big logistics is here as a business, it makes sense.

[MattCW]

Just as long as they keep these things off the public roads.

[arjay57]

This company should change its name from Waymo to Whammo.

Computer driven trucks may be safe but for now I'm giving them a wide berth.

[Need4Camaro]

Sorry but I would be scared crapless of a 18 Wheeler autonomous truck carrying 40,000 lbs down a public interstate.

This is coming from someone who's been truck driving. They don't drive anything like cars and generally ALOT of forgiveness needs to be given to them and driver intuitive correction.

These goons who truly believe a computer can pilot a vehicle better than a well attent driver have no idea.

[cwkimbro]

They have a ways to go... and I'm not saying I feel comfortable with this yet..... but...


The idea of long-range interstate trucking being the first frontier for computer-automated vehicles is the most likely spot.

The thing is the interstate system and a few key connecting roads is limited enough in scope that they can map out every square inch of the road ahead of time and maintain a database of changes.

So the technology to judge weather, cars, traffic, situational details are still there... but the computer knows just where it is and what the road is like ahead.

Interstates are also built to very strict standards when it comes to curvature, grades, land widths, road markings, etc... That would make it easier to operate properly.

If it ever is actually used on the market widespread and they actually allowed a driver-less truck to go to work, I wouldn't be surprised if there were truck pick-up/drop-off sites appeared near freeways. The idea would be truckers are still used in areas that are more iffy and can't be kept up in as detailed of a data base could take over on shorter stretches.


In early stages it could also be that the truck has a driver with a sleeper cab, so the truck can handle long-range runs without stopping. The driver would need to schedule their sleeping with planned low-risk highly-mapped corridors.

Anyways, I think it has to be up to them to truly prove their ability and safety.