TRUCKNET - DIGITAL MAGAZINE - December 2020

Self-driving trucks Hanan Friedman, Trucknet Founder & President 23 Oct 2020 A self-driving truck also known as an autonomous truck, or robo- truck, requires no human driver, which is similar to self-driving cars. The interest in developing autonomous vehicle technology extends beyond passenger cars. Some companies that manufacture cargo vehicles such as GM and Ford also are taking a closer look at the importance and potential for driverless semi-trucks (a combination of a tractor unit and one, or more, semi-trailers to carry freight). Trucking industries aim to increase their efficiency and move more cargo between destinations with less expense. The international standard (J3016) of the Society of Automotive 17 Engineers (SAE) defines six levels of driving automation. Level 0 represents no automation, in which the driver is in full control and Level 5 represents full automation in which the driver only needs to start the car while the car does the rest. Today we are at Level 3, that involves conditional assistance in which the driver has access to automatic devices that steer, brake, accelerate and shift gears for the vehicle. However, the driver must be ready at all times to take over if necessary. Typically, these features are used on the open highway under good driving conditions, with the driver resuming control when leaving the freeway.