LOGISTICS TRANSPORTATION REVIEW9 JULY 2023WHILE AUTONOMOUS OPERATIONS ARE QUICKLY ADVANCING IN TRUCKING, MOST OF US DO NOT CONSCIOUSLY REALIZE THAT AT MINIMUM, WE ARE ALL PASSIVE USERS AND INVOLUNTARY ADAPTERS TO AUTONOMOUS TRANSPORTATIONAutonomy is not without its hurdles. Challenges to autonomous trucking abound but will not stem the inevitable (and necessary) application of such operations. Not an all-inclusive list, among those key challenges, include regulatory requirements as well as public buy-in, with safety applications overarching both. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) will ultimately provide the regulatory requirements on public roadways, states, counties, and municipalities each "have a say" in how autonomous trucking operates in their respective jurisdictions. Additionally, these jurisdictions are subject to community and citizen input; though autonomous applications are quickly gaining acceptance in personal vehicle operations, a large, 80-thousand-pound vehicle cruising the roadway garners a stronger lens of scrutiny in the public mind. Education always precedes acceptance ­ not many realize that 94% of all motor vehicle accidents are the result of human error, affecting roughly 3 million Americans in injuries and fatalities annually; autonomy can help solve such events. A parting consideration is shared autonomous mobility (SAM) among providers; with consideration to proprietary applications, the development of autonomous transportation must remain a collaborative effort among providers and jurisdictions, to include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) applications, further increasing safety and efficiency.Looking back on a career in trucking that started nearly three decades ago in the military, I have had the privilege to serve with and support professional truck drivers across industries that are among the best in their ranks. I felt safe every time in the navigation seat and with each "ride-along" on countless excursions. My foray into autonomous trucking two years ago was distinctly different: from a professional standpoint, I recognized the multiple applications in trucking, solvable through autonomous solutions, and the positive future impact on the industry. Personally, I had never felt safer ­ the capability of the autonomous solution, coupled with my observations, could not be rivaled. Going forward, many observers, including the NHTSA, see as early as the year 2025 as the entry window for fully autonomous vehicle safety features and applications. Given my experiences, I am optimistic to believe this will and must include commercial transport. In the meantime, remain a vigilant observer on the road, not just for safety's sake ­ whether you are on the I10 in Arizona, driving the "triangle" in Texas, or elsewhere, you will likely capture the attention (as it will yours) of an autonomous truck sharing the road with you.
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