Autonomous

About Autonomous News...

Autonomous technologies now drive significant change in trucking and freight transportation. Transport Topics autonomous coverage provides a comprehensive look at that change. It provides the latest details on deployment concepts such as advanced driver-assist systems, transfer hubs, teleoperations, platooning and off-road automation and latest analysis of the companies who are manufacturing, adopting and investing in these technologies. Readers can follow the impact such deployment has on everything from policy and infrastructure initiatives to highway congestion, fuel consumption, fleet management, driver management and business investment.

Business, Technology, Autonomous

Waymo Alleges Former Self-Driving Engineer Plotted to Sell Trade Secrets to Uber

Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo alleged a former top self-driving car engineer plotted to sell trade secrets and talent to Uber Technologies Inc., according to an updated lawsuit filed March 10 against the ride-sharing company.

Mark Bergen | Bloomberg News
March 10, 2017
Business, Autonomous

Truck OEMs Tout Their SuperTruck Improvements

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Truck makers said they continue to reap huge benefits from the SuperTruck program, adding significant technology advances to their production models.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
March 6, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Traditional Trucking Meets the 'Sharing Economy' With Miami Tech Startup Cargo42

Startup Spotlight: Through a simple-to-use app, Cargo42 provides companies an option to ship locally for a lower rate with trucks that have empty space in them. At the same time, trucking companies enjoy an additional revenue stream and maximize the trucks’ productivity.

Nancy Dahlberg | Miami Herald
March 6, 2017
Editorial, Business, Safety, Government, Autonomous, Logistics

Editorial: Week Spent Looking to the Future

Conference halls from coast to coast were teeming with talk of transportation last week, with no shortage of prognostications from industry leaders about what the future holds.

March 6, 2017
Perspective, Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous, Logistics, Technology, Equipment

Opinion: Virginia Increases Availability of TWICs at DMVs

As reported in Transport Topics in early December 2016, (12-12, pp. 4, 43) American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear told a roundtable of lawmakers at a Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., that the Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC, represents the future of secure transportation.

Richard D. Holcomb | Commissioner, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
March 6, 2017
Government, Business, Technology, Safety, Fuel, Logistics, Autonomous

ATA Voices Support for New NACV Show

American Trucking Associations will be a supporter of the new North American Commercial Vehicle Show that debuts in Atlanta on Sept. 25-29.

Jonathan S. Reiskin | Associate News Editor
February 27, 2017
Business, Autonomous, Technology

Otto Accused of Stealing Google's Self-Driving Secrets

It took Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo seven years to design and build a laser-scanning system to guide its self-driving cars. Uber Technologies Inc. allegedly did it in nine months. Waymo claims in a lawsuit filed Feb. 23 that was possible because an ex-employee, Anthony Levandowski, co-founder of Uber-owned Otto, stole the designs and technology and started a new company.

February 24, 2017
Business, Autonomous

Hiring, Keeping Young Drivers Proves a Constant Battle as Workforce Ages

Attracting and retaining younger drivers could hold the key to solving the trucking industry’s persistent struggle with turnover, but that’s much easier said than done, fleets are finding.

David Elfin | Staff Reporter
February 20, 2017
Business, Autonomous, Government, Logistics

Werner Nixes Driving School in Pennsylvania After Local Outcry

Plans for a trucking facility in Palmer Township, Pennsylvania, no longer include a school for new drivers.

Michelle Merlin | The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)
February 14, 2017
Perspective, Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous, Fuel

Opinion: Truck Parking Is Quiet Crisis Facing Industry

Each night, thousands of truck drivers across the country find themselves in a horrible game of “musical chairs” — searching for parking spaces to take their mandated 10-hour rest period. This occurs because of a major shortage for truck parking, which has not kept up with the volume and growth of trucks traveling across our country each day.

February 13, 2017