Autonomous

“Trucks are going to be around for a very long time.”

An effort to attach trucking-centric provisions to Senate legislation on self-driving vehicles did not materialize during the bill’s consideration Oct. 4.

Rio Tinto Group, the world’s second-largest mining company, is focused as much on driver-less trucks and automated drills as conventional shovels and loaders these days. That means it needs a whole lot more high-tech workers.

Efforts to include trucking-centric provisions in autonomous vehicle legislation that a committee will consider Oct. 4 were applauded by American Trucking Associations President Chris Spear.

Self-driving truck technology being developed by Caterpillar Inc. at its Tucson, Ariz., division headquarters will soon be used more extensively by iron ore mines in Australia

Delphi’s self-driving car efforts in Pittsburgh and elsewhere will go by a new name, the company announced Sept. 27.

Ford will begin testing self-driving cars on ride-hailing company Lyft’s network with human drivers at the wheel for backup, the companies said Sept. 26.

Mercedes-Benz is taking the next step in an ambitious project to use drones for same-day delivery, with a three-week pilot in Zurich that will see mini copters shuttle bags of ground coffee to fixed points in the city.

As the Obamacare reform debate rages on in full force, U.S. Sen. John Thune doesn’t have his sights set entirely on the headline-stealing topics of health care and tax reform. The always busy South Dakota Republican is also eyeing legislation for the growing autonomous vehicle market, or self-driving cars.

ATLANTA — The trucking industry will continue to depend on drivers to assist with the navigation of autonomous and connected truck fleets, a policy expert at American Trucking Associations said at the Connected Fleets USA conference Sept. 25.