Are robo-trucks already taking drivers off the road? It’s a possibility, though an indirect one, suggests Fred Andersky, director of government and industry affairs for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems. And truck-driving jobs won’t be the only ones impacted by technological changes coming to the supply chain.
CCJ had a couple of long chats with Andersky following the recent House hearing on autonomous vehicles because, well, self-driving vehicles are fun to imagine. And while the hearing was perhaps a little premature, it’s better that policy makers and regulators keep up with the possibilities rather than fall behind and inhibit innovation.
The hearing also served a broader, more timely purpose: keeping Congress informed about the impressive safety technologies that are available here and now.
Indeed, technology develops and becomes accepted through a series of steps; although revolutionary innovation certainly can capture headlines and the imagination, even self-driving cars and trucks will not be a shock to the public by the time they’re widely available.
“As you look at the how commercial vehicle safety technologies have evolved – from ABS (antilock braking systems) to ESC (electronic stability control) to ACC (adaptive cruise control) and now to CMS (collision mitigations systems) – each new technology has built on the previous, delivering expanded capabilities and more robust interventions,” says Andersky. “I do think the real value in moving forward with autonomous vehicle research, as well as the efforts on the Intelligent Transportation System, ties to supporting the continuing evolution of active safety technologies.”
We discussed the technical, social and political steps on the road to self-driving vehicles in a previous post, but today’s topic is “what if?”
Andersky’s got an interesting starting spin: Does just the looming prospect of autonomous vehicles exacerbate the driver shortage?
