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, Equipment, Autonomous, TCA

Uber’s Kalanick: We Didn’t Hire Waymo Engineer to Steal Self-Driving Secrets

Travis Kalanick got some vindication in court on Feb. 7. Under friendly cross-examination by a lawyer for Uber — the ride-hailing company he co-founded and led until it ousted him last June — Kalanick got a chance to present himself as an earnest guy who loved his work, cared about the future and didn’t take illicit shortcuts as he competed aggressively in the race for self-driving cars.

Carolyn Said | San Francisco Chronicle
February 8, 2018

Daily Briefings from Transport Topics

Transport Topics has partnered with Spoken Layer to make one-minute daily briefings available on all your smart devices. Simply say “Alexa, play Transport Topics” or “Okay Google, talk to Transport Topics” to get the day’s biggest trucking headlines.

Business, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous, TCA

Fiat Chrysler CEO: Even With Autonomous Vehicles, Brand Identity Will Be Key

The term generic might imply a reasonable, cost-effective choice at the grocery store, but Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne says it’s no way to think about cars.

Eric D. Lawrence | Detroit Free Press
February 7, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Autonomous, TCA

Uber’s Kalanick Stays Calm on the Stand During Waymo Trade-Secrets Trial

Subdued. Calm. Compliant. Agreeable. Those adjectives aren’t typically associated with Travis Kalanick, Uber’s combative co-founder. But during 50 minutes on the witness stand in the Waymo vs. Uber trial on Feb. 6, a suit-and-tie-clad Kalanick kept his cool, meekly agreeing with most questions posed to him by Charles Verhoeven, Waymo’s lead attorney.

Carolyn Said | San Francisco Chronicle
February 7, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Autonomous, TCA

Waymo, Uber Trade Barbs in Court Over Trade-Secret Theft Suit

Waymo and Uber lawyers squared off in a federal court on Feb. 5 on the first day of a bombshell trade-secret theft case.

Carolyn Said | San Francisco Chronicle
February 6, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous

Embark Self-Driving Truck Completes Coast-to-Coast Test Run

A self-driving truck operated by tech startup Embark recently completed a test run from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Fla., which the company hailed as the first coast-to-coast journey by an automated truck.

Seth Clevenger | Editor, Features and Multimedia
February 6, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Fuel, Logistics, Autonomous

Survey: US Manufacturers Say Autonomous Trucks Could Cut Costs

Manufacturers could save nearly 30% of their total transportation costs through 2040 if autonomous, longhaul trucking is aggressively adopted, according to an analysis of a new survey of U.S. manufacturers by PwC and the Manufacturing Institute.

February 6, 2018
Government, Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Autonomous

Canada Wants Electric, Driverless Cars to Factor in NAFTA

Canada wants North American automakers to get extra credit for making cars more environmentally friendly or able to drive themselves as negotiators try to bridge one of NAFTA’s sharpest divides.

Anne Riley Moffat | Bloomberg News
February 2, 2018
Business, Technology, Autonomous

How Autonomous Trucks Could Lead to More Driving Jobs, Not Fewer

Self-driving truck developer Uber Technologies Inc. predicts that transfer hubs for longhaul autonomous trucks will increase demand for local drivers, countering perceptions that automation will lead to widespread job losses in trucking.

Seth Clevenger | Editor, Features and Multimedia
February 1, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Autonomous

Daimler Expects Heavy Spending on New Tech as Industry Shifts to Autonomous Driving

German automaker Daimler made lots of money last year. That’s a good thing, because the company says it will need to spend heavily this year to keep up with the technological change expected to disrupt the car industry.

Davis McHurgh | AP Business Writer
February 1, 2018
Business, Technology, Equipment, Safety, Autonomous, TCA

Self-Driving Cars Need Humans Less and Less, California Data Shows

The robot cars test-driving on California roads seem to need their human overseers less and less.

David R. Baker | Bloomberg News
February 1, 2018