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

Uber for Trucking Firm in China Valued at $1 Billion

Truck Alliance Inc., an Uber-type service for trucks known in China as Huochebang, raised about $115 million in a financing round that valued the startup at $1 billion.

Lulu Yilun Chen | Bloomberg News
December 22, 2016
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Amazon Hails Uber to Make Deliveries in Boston

Don’t be surprised if the next time you get a package from Amazon that the item arrives in a car rather than in a white Amazon van or a big UPS truck.

Jordan Graham | Boston Herald
December 21, 2016
Business, Technology, Autonomous

California DMV Calls Uber's San Francisco Self-Driving Cars Illegal

Uber Technologies Inc. has reverted to one of its bad-boy habits: ignoring regulators. California Department of Motor Vehicles officials said Dec. 14 that the ride-hailing provider is breaking the law by rolling out self-driving cars in San Francisco without their approval.

Eric Newcomer | Bloomberg News
December 15, 2016
Government, Technology, Autonomous

DOT Announces Proposed Rule for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication

The U.S. Department of Transportation on Dec. 13 issued a proposed rule offering guidance for the development of vehicle-to-vehicle technologies that would provide advance warning of potentially life-threatening crashes for light vehicles.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
December 13, 2016
Perspective, Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous

Opinion: Coating Crucial to Stopping Tank Corrosion

In truck and rail tankers and beyond, chemically bonded phosphate ceramics can stop corrosion, improve safety, extend equipment life and minimize maintenance and downtime.

December 5, 2016
Business, Autonomous

Self-Driving Truck Hauls Freight in Ohio as State Unveils Investment to Aid Research

A semi-autonomous truck operated by Otto has completed the first of multiple test runs planned in Ohio this week as the state announced a $15 million investment in highway sensors and cable to support testing of advanced transportation technologies.

Seth Clevenger | Managing Editor, Features and Multimedia
December 1, 2016
Business, Safety, Government, Autonomous

October Tonnage Dips 0.9% From 2015

Truck tonnage sagged 0.9% in October versus a year ago, the second consecutive decline in American Trucking Associations’ monthly index, despite other positive economic numbers in the retail, manufacturing and industrial sectors.

Ari Ashe | Staff Reporter
November 28, 2016
Perspective, Business, Autonomous

Opinion: Addition by Subtraction

In a time of business growth, trucking companies may find themselves trying to keep up with increasing demands, including fleet management needs. Regardless of whether the business grows organically or through a merger or acquisition, you need to find a way to manage the needs of your business and customers. However, simply adding more vehicles to your fleet isn’t always the right answer. Sometimes, it comes down to “addition by subtraction.”

November 28, 2016
Business, Fuel, Government, Equipment, Autonomous

Big Drop in Class 8 Registrations Signals End of Truck-Buying Spree

A sharp decline in registrations of new trucks is taking the air out of what has been a remarkably robust period of growth in the size of the nation’s Class 8 fleet.

Daniel P. Bearth | Staff Writer
November 28, 2016
Business, Equipment, Autonomous

Borne Back Ceaselessly Into the Past, Truck OEMs Return to Medium Duty

The reintroduction of medium-duty models from three manufacturers will reconfigure that segment of the commercial truck industry, especially in the lighter weight classes.

Jim Galligan | Special to Transport Topics
November 28, 2016