The Impact of Self-Driving Technology on Trucking Industry
The trucking industry is one of the most critical components of our modern economy, with trucks traveling millions of miles every year and carrying most of our consumer goods. However, truck driving can be a dangerous and grueling job, posing a significant risk to other people on the road. The introduction of self-driving technology in trucks has the potential to make a substantial impact on safety and efficiency.
Daimler's Commitment to Self-Driving Technology
Almost four years ago, Daimler, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz, made a significant claim about its work on self-driving big rigs. They announced that they were working on a self-driving truck and pulled out all the stops for the big reveal. The company brought the truck out on top of the Hoover Dam and then brought us all here to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway to give us a ride in the truck and let us see what it would be like to be inside a self-driving big rig.
Daimler's trucks were prototypes, but they were a breakthrough at the time. They were the first vehicles to receive special autonomous-vehicle license plates from the state of Nevada, which has become a hotbed for testing self-driving cars. This week at CES, we are starting to see that dream from 2015 turn into reality. Daimler is showing off the final production version of those prototype trucks and announcing a whole bunch of news around this program as well.
Daimler's Commitment to Development
The company is committing 500 million euros to the program, hiring hundreds of workers, and promising that these trucks will go into manufacturing this summer and be on the road later this year. This significant investment in self-driving technology demonstrates Daimler's commitment to revolutionizing the trucking industry.
Getting a Feel for Self-Driving Technology
To get a full understanding of what this new technology was really like and how different it is, Daimler actually let me drive one of the Cascadia trucks that doesn't have any of this technology in it. I found the one person at CES who let me drive something this year, and it happens to be a gigantic truck.
Driving a Truck without Self-Driving Technology
This big boy is the Daimler Cascadia, the newest version of Daimler's most popular truck. We are out here at CES this year to see what Daimler has done with self-driving technology in these trucks. This is not the version that has that tech inside of it, but this is, sort of, the latest and greatest before we get into the more advanced Cascadia that Daimler is showing off this week.
Driving Experience
I've never driven a truck like this before, and I don't know, I got the hang of it pretty quick. But I am definitely really interested to see how much different it feels being inside one of these things when you add all of these self-driving sensors. There are thousands of fatal crashes every year involving big rigs on U.S. roads, and pretty much all of them have something to do with human error.
The Importance of Self-Driving Technology in Trucking
Getting any kind of self-driving trucks into the mix is always gonna be a pretty big deal. More than that, driving a truck is just a grueling job. You're spending 10, 12 hours on the road at a time and doing that day after day after day, driving along what can be really monotonous highways. Drivers get easily distracted, so putting something in the truck that can help out a driver and make that experience not only easier on them but safer for everyone around them is also a really big step forward.
Daimler's Technology
One of the most interesting things about what Daimler has done here is that it's accomplishing all of this with just a little bit of technology. There are two radar sensors and one camera, and that's what's making this whole thing possible. That's a far cry from something like Tesla, which has cameras, radars, and ultrasonics all around the car.
The Truck's Capabilities
Some of the specific things this truck can do with its technology is it will alert the driver if there's a pedestrian, or a bicyclist, or somebody along side the right side of the truck. My following distance is set for about 3.6 seconds, so it's gonna wait for him to get about 3.6 seconds ahead of us and then it's gonna keep that pace as much as we possibly can with that car.
Steering Without a Steering Wheel
And now I don't have hands on the steering wheel, it's basically steering. After about 15 to 20 seconds, I get the caution popup that says, \\\
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: en(sensor beeping)(driver reacting)(horn honking)- We hear a lot aboutself-driving technology,pretty much all the time these days,especially at shows like CES.But one place where thattechnology might actuallymake a pretty big impact soonerthan later, is in trucking.Trucks travel millions of miles every yearand carry most of our consumer goods,pretty much everythingyou have in your home.But they can be dangerousto drive and they can bea risk to other people on the road.So, getting a little bit ofthat self-driving technologyinto a truck like this couldactually go a really long way.(techno music)Almost 4 years ago,Daimler, the parent companyof Mercedes-Benz, made apretty a pretty big claim.They said they were workingon a self-driving big rig,and they pulled out all thestops for the big reveal.They brought the truck outon top of the Hoover Dam,and then they brought us all hereto the Las Vegas MotorSpeedway to give us all ridesin the truck and let ussee what it would be liketo be inside a self-driving big rig.Those trucks were just prototypes,but they were somethingof a break-through at the time.They were the first vehicles to getspecial autonomous-vehicle license platesfrom the state of Nevada, which has becomea pretty big hotbed fortesting self-driving cars.This week at CES, we'restarting to see that dreamfrom 2015 turn into, kind of, a reality.Daimler's showing off thefinal production versionof those prototype-trucks,and it's announcinga whole bunch of newsaround this program as well.It's committing 500 millioneuros to the program,hiring hundreds ofworkers, and it's promisingthat these trucks will go intomanufacturing this summer,and be on the road later this year.Now to get a full understandingof what this new technologywas really like and howdifferent it is, Daimler actuallylet me drive one of theCascadia trucks that doesn'thave any of this technology in it.- Maybe with your thumb, yeah.There you go.And now, you're ready to go.- Alright.I found the one person at CESwho let me drive somethingthis year, and it happens tobe a gigantic truck (laughs).So, this big boy is the DaimlerCascadia, the newest versionof Daimler's, essentially,most popular truck.And we're out here at CES thisyear to see what Daimler'sdoing with self-drivingtechnology in these trucks.This is not the version thathas that tech inside of it,but this is, sort of, thelatest and greatest beforewe get into the more advancedCascadia that Daimler'sshowing off this week.And I've never driven atruck like this beforeand, I don't know, I gotthe hang of it pretty quick.But I'm definatelyreally interested to seehow much different it feelsbeing inside one of these thingswhen you add all of theseself-driving sensors.There are thousands offatal crashes every yearinvolving big rigs on U.S.roads, and pretty muchall of them have somethingto do with human error.So, getting any kind ofself-driving trucks intothe trucks to help out the driver,is always gonna be a pretty big deal.More than that, driving atruck is just a grueling job.You're spending 10, 12hours on the road at a timeand doing that day afterday after day, driving alongwhat can be really monotonous highways.Drivers get easily distracted,so putting somethingin the truck that canhelp out a driver and makethat experience, not onlyeasier on them, but saferfor everyone around them, isalso a really big step forward.One of the most interesting things aboutwhat Daimler's done hereis that it's accomplishingall of this with just alittle bit of technology.There's two radar sensorsand one camera, and that'swhat's making this whole thing possible.That's a far cry fromsomething like Tesla,which has cameras, andradars, and ultrasonicsall around the car.Some of the specificthings this truck can dousing that technology is itwill alert the driver if there'sa pedestrian, or a bicyclist,or somebody along sidethe right side of the truck.- My following distance is setfor about 3.6 seconds, soit's gonna wait for himto get about 3.6 seconds aheadof us and then it's gonnakeep that pace as much as wepossibly can with that car.And now I don't have handson the steering wheel,it's basically steering.After about 15 to 20 seconds,I get the caution popupthat says, \"Put yourhands back on the wheel.\"If I don't do it, it's going to escalateinto a red guard here in aminute, and I'm gonna start(sensor beeping)to get an audible chime.It's gonna get more and more annoying(sensor beeping)for about 60 seconds.- And what would resetthat, just giving a little bitof a tug to the wheel?- Yeah,If I just give a little bitof torque on the steering.- If you follow the advancementsthat have been happeningin self-driving technologyin the automotive space,a lot of this might now soundvery new to you, but the factthat they're coming totrucks is pretty big deal.These trucks are out on theroad clocking million of miles,and one of the biggest problemsis making sure that a driverwhose doing a really longshift is staying aware,able to drive safely, andable to keep the peoplearound themselves safe as well.And so, this truck hasbeen outfitted with a bunchof different features that willmake sure that that happens.One thing that's really interesting aboutwhat Daimler unveiled today,is that it's really not allthat far off from what wesaw almost four years ago.The technology is justa slight iteration anda slight refinement overthose prototype-trucks.And that actually matcheswhat we're starting to seein the industry at large.We've all these wild promisesabout self-driving carsover the last couple years,especially here at CES.And none of that hasreally come to fruition.There was, sort of, anover-promising happening for awhileand now everybody's kind ofcoming back down to reality.And Daimler is rightthere with everybody else.They spent a lot of today talking abouthow they're gonna takea more measured pathgoing forward with this stuff.And while it's nice tothink about a future wherethese trucks might beable to drive themselvesand completely reducecrashes, today was all aboutkeeping drivers in thetruck, and also usingthat technology to helpthose drivers out as opposedto just replacing them completely.That doesn't mean that that won't be wherethis technology ends upfive, 10, 20, or 30 yearsdown the road, but it givesus a better picture of whatthe transition will looklike, and how the worldwill actually change asthis technology maturesin the coming years.Thanks everybody for watching.For more self-drivingtrucks, self-driving cars,and all the other crazytechnology we're seeing herethis week at CES 2019,got to theverge.com.And make sure you goto YouTube.com/thevergeand click subscribe.Thanks for watching.\n"
