Driverless Trucks: Progress, Problems, and the Road Ahead

Driverless 18-wheelers are already on a few highways. But their widespread use is still a long way down the road. Trucks equipped with artificial intelligence could greatly change freight shipping. A few companies have started testing early models on limited routes in Texas and California. Computer simulations of automated fleets suggest several possible benefits. The trucks could improve safety, save fuel, and shorten travel times.

Truck makers and operators still must solve major problems. These include how automated trucks will handle changing weather and road conditions. Another question is whether a driver should stay inside the cab of a big rig.

I am an engineer who studies human factors and transportation safety. In my view, automated trucks and human drivers will likely work together for a long time.

Fully automated trucks can drive on an interstate highway in good weather without human help. They combine AI, machine learning, computer vision, pattern recognition, and adaptive decision-making. Torc, one company developing these vehicles, uses AI to combine data from multiple sensors. It then builds models that predict how the truck will perform.

Data from modern big rigs equipped with automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance suggest that fully automated, driverless trucks could reduce both the number and severity of crashes. They could also save fuel and lower costs by improving acceleration and braking. They could run multiple vehicles in a close convoy, or platoon. Because they could operate almost 24 hours a day and would not need to idle while parked, driverless trucks could reduce parking needs and emissions from idling. Idling is common for regular rigs at truck stops.

Finally, automated trucks could help ease the ongoing driver shortage. Ironically, automation could make driving less stressful and less physically demanding. That could improve job satisfaction among drivers.