Self-driving cars, autonomous autos, are in the news because they are on our streets – as a test. Trucking companies and companies with fleets of trucks have greater incentives to automate operations. Long-haul eighteen-wheelers are an obvious application, but that will take testing, too. Some companies with fleets of trucks can go robotic quicker because the trucks never leave the company’s property. Large mining operations use enormous trucks to carry immense loads of rocks through very repeatable and predictable routes. The traffic is also easy to predict because it is their own trucks. Robo-trucks are already in operation in Canada’s oil sands region. A proof of concept there can increase confidence elsewhere, including highways, roads, and city streets.
“Robo-Trucks Come To Canada’s Oil Sands” – IEEE Spectrum
Pretending Not To Panic 