Self-Driving Trucks Begin Real-World Tests on Ohio's Highways (cbsnews.com)

An anonymous reader writes: "A vehicle from self-driving truck maker Otto will travel a 35-mile stretch of U.S. Route 33 on Monday in central Ohio..." reports the Associated Press. The truck "will travel in regular traffic, and a driver in the truck will be positioned to intervene should anything go awry, Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Bruning said Friday, adding that 'safety is obviously No. 1.'"

Ohio sees this route as "a corridor where new technologies can be safely tested in real-life traffic, aided by a fiber-optic cable network and sensor systems slated for installation next year" -- although next week the truck will also start driving on the Ohio Turnpike.

Comments

Still not ready for cities

[burtosis]

Since the self driving tech for trucks is at least an order of magnitude or two simpler for fair weather freeway driving than real city driving it's likely it will be implemented there first. You could probably cut the workforce in half or even more by employing drivers only at depots located next to freeways to ferry them the last mile or two within the city. Even between cities in bad weather but that will likely will become automated soon enough. It could potentially eliminate 1.5 to even 2.5 million jobs within 5 years if done this way. Probably will bankrupt every truck stop along major freeways costing another 200k jobs.

On the bright side thus should employ a few tens of thousands to perhaps even 50k skilled H1-B workers. If anyone can think of how these people will find employment I'd be interested to know as I can't seem to think of how it is gonna happen.

10x more job loss than coal

[Anonymous Coward]

In 2014 there were 1.8 million truck drivers. Average pay was $40K. That's damn good money for a job that doesn't even require a high school education.

Those people are fuuuuuucked. More fucked than any other industry. More fucked than buggy-whip makers. More fucked than coal miners. In 1980 there were only 230,000 coal miners. Over the last 30 years that's dropped by about 150,000 jobs. But once the they get a working retrofit kit for trucks that are already on the road, the trucking industry is going to shed 90% of their drivers in less than decade.

And all the ancillary businesses that depend on truckers, like truckstop restaurants and convenience stores, even hookers, they are are fucked too.

These guys are going to react very poorly to this inevitable future. If Trump's election scared you, get ready from somebody 10x worse when this plays out.

Re:10x more job loss than coal

[gtall]

"even hookers, they are are fucked too." Surely not.

Re: 10x more job loss than coal

[MickyTheIdiot]

Not everyone can get a PhD or Master's degree. You have to allow for the "stupid" people unless you want to promote extermination, which makes you an even bigger idiot than your comment makes you out to be.

Re:Our Jerbs!!

[jcr]

Her big fuck-up was basing her entire campaign on the premise that anyone who didn't support her already was an idiot/bigot/misogynist/etc.

Attacking your opponent is expected. Attacking your opponent's supporters is bloody stupid.

-jcr