Freightliner Inspiration Truck Unveiled at Hoover Dam

http://www.freightlinerinspiration.com/newsroom/press/inspiration-truck-unveiled/

by tpatke • 11 years ago

43 52 11 years ago

freightlinerinspiration.com

sbarre3• 11 years ago

So, if I understand this, there is still a human in the truck, they're just not driving most of the time?

pgeorgi• 11 years ago

yes, for example for all parts of the route that are not on a highway.

They have the numbers that it's less stressful work, which they'll no doubt manage to compensate for soon enough with more work. They can also collect data that may help automating larger parts of the route. Or evidence that machines are more reliable than humans (making the case for building these things without a driver's seat)

jotm5• 11 years ago

Basically, these drivers get first seat tickets to watching their jobs slowly being taken away from them by machines.

sbarre3• 11 years ago

Interesting.. I always assumed the first iteration of this would be on separated lanes that ran alongside highways.. Maybe once they go full drone (never go full drone) that's what they will have to do, depending on public opinion..

mason240• 11 years ago

What I am really looking forward too is RVs with this technology.

Simply load up the family, drive to freeway, and let the RV take over, and hang out in the back for 8 hours while going to your destination.

mitchell_h• 11 years ago

This is also what farm equipment automation is currently taking. A human drives the tractor/combine/* into the field hits "Go" on a screen and turns around to watch what the implement is doing.

tootie• 11 years ago

This has just unlocked a dream for me. Imagine having a remote working kind of job (like, say a programmer). You could pretty much just do your job from the cabin of a long-haul truck pausing only occasionally to top up on fuel or drive through messy conditions the computer can't handle. It's an introvert dream come true.

pinaceae• 11 years ago

this will go in the other direction though - drones are remotely controlled, fleets of trucks will be as well. one operator, 25 trucks, only need to take over for special tasks.

depended on network coverage, yes, but most trucks move between well covered, urbanized areas.

samsolomon• 11 years ago

Calling this thing “The Inspiration” is the most uninspiring thing about this truck. It's difficult to make it through the video with all of the buzzwords.

Seems like a huge missed opportunity, because it’s a pretty impressive accomplishment.

zrail• 11 years ago

Not that you're wrong, but I don't think you're the target market. The people who eventually buy these trucks probably eat all that up, since it's probably pretty new to them.

mrfusion• 11 years ago

Why no pictures?

delinka• 11 years ago

Is this article missing photos or is it just the mobile version that's missing them?

michaelbuckbee2• 11 years ago

It's a straight text press release, I found a Car and Driver gallery here: http://www.caranddriver.com/photo-gallery/the-trucks-are-ali... - the truck pretty much looks like a semi truck, the interesting thing to me is the image I linked to, which is the UI for 'highway pilot' mode.

jaynos• 11 years ago

Since using the Hoover Dam as a projection screen is probably cooler than the actual truck, I dug up a link that show it. Full article, but the photo in question is halfway down [0].

edit: Found more background and pictures on the projection. Started a new thread so as not to hijack [1].

[0] http://www.trucknews.com/mobile-and-it/freightliners-autonom...

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9504958

jokr004• 11 years ago

Am I being irrational or is anyone else infuriated by the use of "an historic"? No one would ever say "an history", why do people say this?

lojack• 11 years ago

A historic is more common in both American and British English, but both usages are sufficiently common to be considered correct.

http://www.betterwritingskills.com/tip-w005.html

noblethrasher• 11 years ago

I'm sure that I am in the minority, but for some reason "a historic" sounds like it should be an adjective meaning "non-historic" (like "apolitical" or "amoral").

unics• 11 years ago

This of course reminds me of the story about a lawsuit Winnebago fought about a guy who activated cruise-control and went back to make a sandwich.

Does anyone else see the possibility of seeing some very strange activities associated with drivers with way too much time on their hands being reported in the near future?

I've seen some pretty wild things going down highways but the possibilities are endless with autopilot.

hippich• 11 years ago

for what it worth - tried to find story about lawsuit you mentioned, when stumbled upon this - http://www.stellaawards.com/bogus.html :)

Freightliner Inspiration Truck Unveiled at Hoover Dam

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