When Truck Drivers Tailgating is Actually a Good Thing
Tailgating will take on new meaning on U.S. highways this year.
Peloton, a start-up that partially automates tractor-trailers, is partnering with truck fleet management company Omnitracs to deliver its technology to U.S. roads this year. The companies are working on what's called "platooning," in which several trucks drive in close proximity to each other in a bid to leverage aerodynamics and save fuel.
The lead truck sets the pace and the other vehicles are programmed to match its speed. As the first tractor-trailer brakes and accelerates, the others follow suit. Drivers are still present in all of the trucks, but those in the back of the pack have to worry only about steering.
GM, Lyft Deploying “Thousands” of Self-Driving Bolts in 2018
General Motors will catapult to the top of the autonomous vehicle class in 2018 when it deploys “thousands” of self-driving EVs with its ride-sharing partner Lyft Inc., according to Reuters.
If it happens, it will be the largest test fleet of fully autonomous vehicles by a major automaker. Currently, Waymo, working in concert with Fiat Chrysler, is testing about 60 self-driving vehicles in four states.
Most automakers have been pointing to 2020 as the time when they’ll have vehicles ready for autonomous driving tests on America’s roadways.
Elite UPS Safe Driver Group Grows To More Than 9,300
UPS announced the induction of 1,575 drivers into its elite “Circle of Honor,” raising to 9,349 the number of drivers who have not had an avoidable accident for 25 years or more.
Nearly 10 percent of the UPS driver workforce has gone 25 years or more without a crash.
Before ever making a delivery, all UPS drivers are taught safe driving methods through the company’s defensive driving platform. The training continues throughout their careers.
Human Foibles Complicate Era of Autonomous Cars
Remember those old "Star Trek" episodes where the supremely logical Mr. Spock argued with the all-too-human Bones McCoy and James T. Kirk on the bridge of the Enterprise?
Longtime highway safety engineer James Hedlund envisions something like those culture clashes taking place on our roads and highways once autonomous vehicles (AVs) share the roads with drivers behind the wheel of traditional cars and trucks.
In a new report done for the Governors Highway Safety Association, the 22-year veteran of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warns that the development of autonomous vehicle technology is racing way ahead of safety concerns that are not being addressed.
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