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, Autonomous, Government, Logistics, Technology

Execs Offer Mixed Assessment of Freight Market Since January

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — At the end of the first quarter, there are signs of optimism in the economy but also caution about the sustainability of the momentum, according to economic analysts and trucking executives at the 2017 Truckload Carriers Association conference.

Ari Ashe | Staff Reporter
April 3, 2017
Government, Business, Equipment, Safety, Fuel, Autonomous

Flatbed, Specialty Trailer Makers Tout Strong 1Q Orders, Sales

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Specialty, flatbed and heavy-hauler trailer manufacturers exhibiting at the Mid-America Trucking Show wanted to talk about an exceptionally good start to the year, plus greenhouse-gas emissions regulations, aluminum, manufacturing discipline and a shortage of welders.

Roger Gilroy | Senior Reporter
April 3, 2017
Business, Government, Safety, Logistics, Autonomous

NTSB Encourages Fleets to Root Out Bad Drivers

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — A top National Transportation Safety Board official called on motor carriers to do a better job of identifying drivers in their employ with bad driving habits.

Eric Miller | Senior Reporter
April 3, 2017
Business, Government, Safety, Autonomous, Logistics

Bipartisan Support for Road Funds, Tax Reform Likely, ATA Exec Says

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Advancing an infrastructure funding measure alongside a tax reform package in the coming weeks is likely to garner bipartisan backing from policymakers and support from the freight industry, officials representing trucking executives and states’ transportation directors said last week.

Eugene Mulero | Senior Reporter
April 3, 2017
Business, Autonomous, Government, Logistics

Trucking Executives Discuss How Millennials Are Shifting Industry’s Workforce Dynamics

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — As baby boomers retire, more companies are hiring millennials to be truck drivers, presenting new challenges to address the differences between the generations in how they view life and work.

Ari Ashe | Staff Reporter
April 3, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Uber Crash Shows Human Traits in Self-Driving Software

A recent crash involving an Uber Technologies Inc. driverless car suggests autonomous software sometimes takes the same risks as the humans it may one day replace.

Mark Bergen | Bloomberg News
March 30, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Online Freight Firm Freightos Raises $25 Million in Funding

Freightos, an online marketplace for international shipping, said on March 29 that it raised $25 million in funding led by GE Ventures, bringing the company's total funding to date to $50 million.

Tova Cohen | Reuters
March 29, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Is Uber's Self-Driving Program Veering Off Track?

A self-driving car flipped on its side seems guaranteed to make humans think twice about riding with a robot.

Marco della Cava | USA Today
March 28, 2017
Business, Technology, Autonomous

Uber to Suspend Autonomous Tests After Arizona Accident

Uber Technologies Inc. is suspending its self-driving car program after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a high-impact crash in Tempe, Arizona, the latest incident for a company reeling from multiple crises.

March 27, 2017
Perspective, Business, Safety, Government, Autonomous, Logistics

Opinion: Regulation Rollback: Will Safety Suffer?

Throughout Donald Trump’s campaign for president, slashing regulations was a core theme. Many of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees are long-standing opponents of a heavily regulated business environment. I welcome this time to catch our breath. The rate of regulatory change in the trucking industry has been too rapid for many businesses to keep pace.

March 27, 2017