Autonomous

On the evening of Nov. 16, Elon Musk unveiled the latest prop in his Tony Stark cosplay. Tesla Inc.’s all-electric semi rig met all the classic Musk product launch criteria: It looked stunning, had unprecedented performance numbers, included features straight out of science fiction, and would arrive at some unknown date at a too-good-to-be-true price from a still-to-be-built assembly line.

With a cheery chime, a small, squarish minibus eased forward and tentatively took to the “highway” Dec. 12, advancing to a top speed of 3 miles per hour in the frigid morning air punctuated by a dash of swirling snow.

Contract talks between the International Longshoremen’s Association and the U.S. Maritime Alliance ended on Dec. 6 after a disagreement over automation at terminals, leaving negotiations at a standstill without future talks scheduled.

Foxconn Technology Group’s plans for the use of driverless vehicles to move thousands of workers a day at its sprawling campus in Racine County, Wisc., highlights the growing attractiveness of a technology that could shape the future of transportation.

Central Ohio bus drivers are warning state lawmakers that the push for automated vehicles may lead to job losses and unsafe conditions.

Legislation before Congress that would establish a regulatory landscape for autonomous cars while not addressing trucks does not reflect the realities of the driving landscape and will fall short on safety, the president of American Trucking Associations said Dec. 6.

A U.S. district judge wants to determine why Uber failed to turn over some explosive evidence as it battled a lawsuit alleging it stole self-driving car secrets.

Advances in connected, autonomous and truck platooning technologies are expected to dominate the discussions during a Dec. 7 House transportation policymakers roundtable scheduled with executives from the trucking industry.

U.S. Army trucks using an autonomous driving system from Lockheed Martin logged more than 55,000 testing miles during a simulated warfare experiment program held at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and Fort Bliss, Texas, according to Lockheed Martin.

Automation could destroy as many as 73 million U.S. jobs by 2030, but economic growth, rising productivity and other forces could more than offset the losses, according to a new report by McKinsey Global Institute.