Will Autonomous Trucks Be Traveling in Formation?

Fredski,

I saw that article and wondered about the "real driver" That would be a tough job.

"Uh...could you hit the rest stop? I gotta see a man about a dog" {beep} Sorry human, it is not in the program {beep}}

They already have 'trucker buddies,' to handle that.

And for those too cheap to get actua 'automotive bedpans, there are always the sports drinks, with their 'wide mouth' openings.

And that's all I'm going to say on that, any more and it'll put me off my coffee.

A truck train that splits off at individual destinations....? We need truck train lanes....

Now that's a monster truck!

http://vinemoments.com/truck-train-machine-really-awesome-12-wheeled-train/

Hopefully, they'll all stay in one lane.

Even if they do, it won't be an added lane, but taken from the existing ones.

if trucks could only use a designated lane, after a while people would all get used to it and traffic flow would improve and be safer I'd gladly "give up" an existing lane....like the 3rd lane( and dedicate that to trucks only except for lane changing, keep the slow lane on our 4+ lane freeways

Trucks DO have a dedicated lane, the right two lanes on all freeways in California. Lets say that trucks could only use one lane for example ( the slow lane ) in this scenario there would be an endless line of trucks in the slow lane on the I-405 from Oceanside to Huntington Beach. The real problem is not trucks and where/how they drive,, the real problem is where and how the automobile driver drives. Need proof on that last statement? This Saturday, go park you car near ANY intersection with 4 way stop signs, and count how many car drivers come to a complete stop, look both ways before proceeding. Those talking on the cell phone, eating, putting on makeup, reading the newspaper can all be included in this survey. My guess is that it will be less than one car in ten. If American drivers cant even follow the basic laws, how can anyone expect them to be courteous around big rigs ?

I've lived in HB for decades and spent years looking at the 405 through a windshield. what are you talking about?? there are no marked lanes other than the diamond

Fredski, Yes, the diamond ( HOV - High occupancy vehicle ) lane is marked and is separated at least a Double-Yellow line. In some areas, there are two double yellow lines separated by a marked or unmarked median (island) , some islands ( medians) are raised and others are the same grade as the surrounding road surface.

Enough of that.

The lanes for Semi Trucks are not marked generally in California, Although on some freeways and highways, there are signs indicating that they must use the right lane only. An example would be california 60( notice how I did not say " Interstate or I- 60 ? That's because the 60 freeway is a California highway, unlike the 405 which is an Interstate or I-405.

According to the Calif. Dept. Of motor vehicles, semi trucks must normally use the far right lane, except for passing slower moving vehicles ( those slower moving vehicles could be other trucks or passenger vehicles).

Also when transitioning from one interstate to another, semi trucks are allowed to drive in a different lane than the far right lane ( but never the far left lane or diamond lane) and only as long as necessary to complete the transition.

The exception would be in the case of road construction, at the direction of a peace officer or when emergency vehicles are present.

Ilinois has similar rules for trucks (Rightmost lane unless passing when on a 2-lane highway, rightmost two lanes on 3+ lane highways) but that's not always observed. You'll see three trucks wide on a 4-lane highway, not side by side, but staggered so it looks like someone's passing, but when you get closer, you'll see they're 'holding formation' and the spacing of the stagger is just enough to make the foolish think they can 'shoot the gap' by cutting off one of the trucks. It wouldn't be THAT bad, except these 'rolling road blocks' are also obeying the letter of the speed limit for semis (actually, the limit for ALL vehicles with trailers) of 45mph, causing a huge traffic jam behind them, and the 'lead' truck is typically the one in the rightmost lane, so it's not like the 55mph crowd are just 'drifting left' to pass, you're 'boxed in.'

It actually makes me prefer the trucks who ignore the speed limit and barrel along the left two lanes ay 85+mph, at least THEY'RE not blocking traffic.

Sorry if I went on a rant there at the end, but when you've dealt with the wide range of 'Interstate truckers' that I have just getting to and from work, you really become aware of how bad the 'bad truckers' are. With the 'hub and spoke' layout of the Greater Chicagoland highways, the I294 bypass is the only viable route when you live on a different 'spoke' than your job, and 294 gets all the truck traffic for the Tri-state area, since the alternate is trying to travel down I-90/94 through the middle of the City.

Adreasler, Yes, I never liked that 45 mph limit going across that old steel bridge near Joliet. Now as for the traffic jam, that would be caused by, not truckers going 45mph, but by other vehicles going faster than 45 mph and catching up to the trucks. As for getting around chicagoland, its not really necessary to take the I-294 all the time, the roads in Chicago area are laid out in a grid like system, its really only along the lake or the west side( known there as the suburbs or burbs)that the roads get wacky. Also, Chicago is where I first heard the phrase " The never ending job ". I miss going to the flea market that is right by the freeway, the one with the big water tower/ ya, you know the one.

If you're heading from one end of the city to the other, you've got four choices, Lake Shore Drive, I-90/94, (The highways merge into one while passing through the city, that's why we use both numbers like that), I-294, or surface streets.

During rush hour periods (7-10AM and 3-9PM) the surface streets are a traffic jam, I-90/94 and LSD are parking lots, and I-294 is horrible in one direction (Northbound in the morning, Southbound in the evening).

And don't even get me started about the congestion from the 'lunch rush" (10AM-3PM) or the 'nightlife crowd (9PM-7AM). But when you live in the Far North side, and your job is in the Western suburbs, you gotta drive, unless you want to spend two hours traveling by train to downtown, walking from Union Station to The Other Station, taking a train from there to the nearest stop to work, and walking the 'last mile,' (for a travel time of two hours on the train/waiting for the train and an hour hiking, all for lust one way, so six hours travel time round trip), So it's either take the tollway, or take the surface streets, which have bottlenecks due to the limited crossings over the Des Planes River, the railroad tracks west of the city, and the I-294 bypass.

Believe me, I've looked at all the options, and the tollway is the best one, because it is the least 'slow and annoying.' Although that's like choosing the smallest 'poopie sandwich.' it's the best choice in the situation, but it's still a sandwich made of poopie.

What effect will potholes and cracked pavements have on one of these autonomous convoys? How about a patch of black ice and a heavy wind gust?

What effect will potholes and cracked pavements have on one of these autonomous convoys? How about a patch of black ice and a heavy wind gust?

Yeah, the one human on board might have a lot of 'splaining to do!

Who's gonna be designated "Rubber Duck" and get to declare "...them hog's getting intense up here..." over the digital CB radio to "Pig Pen"?

...oh, and will their software recognize state and local laws about NOT CONVOYING on hills and rural single-lane roads...and thus leave "OPEN spaces" between vehicles?

Didn't think so...

no question that laws always lag technology... it'll all get worked out

Yes, the laws always lag technology. However nothing forces laws, people or things to have to work out in the long or short run.

Just some technologies that don't get to work very often any more.

Those sound like areas that wouldn't be getting the automated trucks in the first place. I would see this as more of an 'Interstate highway' thing at the start.

That happens all the time.

Didn't you ever watch Smoky and the Bandit?

Did someone say traveling information?

Allegedly autonomous humans coalesce into formations, but then they become not so autonomous. "Autonomous formation" is almost an oxymoron.