Rapid technological change in the world can improve productivity, working conditions and road safety, as shown by self-driving trucks developed by manufacturers like Daimler and Volvo.
MAGDEBURG (Germany) - Last July, along a four-lane stretch of the A14 autobahn near Magdeburg in eastern Germany, a large silver truck fell into line with some 20 other vehicles... nothing special... if it were not for Hans Luft, the driver, waving his hands to show that he does not need them on the wheel.
He then pressed a button on the seat armrest to relax in comfort. The driver's seat immediately moved backwards, and pivoted to the right by 45 degrees for a comfortable seating position. Luft was able to stretch his legs, as if sitting in an armchair at home. He was still able to reach the steering wheel, but could have only gotten to the brake pedal with an artistic foot contortion...
But don't worry. This was not an ordinary truck.
Luff commanded Daimler's "Future Truck 2025" which was actually not driverless. Still, its "Highway Pilot" had taken over. The pilot allows a driver to respond to traffic while driving autonomously down a freeway at speeds of up to 80 kilometres per hour.
"It was an extraordinary experience... I sat in the cabin, as if I had nothing to do with the driving. The truck did it all alone," says Luff.
Just by using the Highway Pilot the truck drove autonomously, responding to slowing cars in its lane by adjusting its speed accordingly.
In addition, the Future Truck 2025 is able to link with other infrastructure elements such as the German traffic control centre, or other vehicles by using its vehicleto-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (V2V & V2I). So the truck will be able to know if there's an accident and an ambulance on its way, which will need a rescue alley.
The Future Truck 2025 is also able to inform other vehicles about such an incident, allowing them to react quickly by using its V2V communication. For the time being, it is only a prototype. Regulatory and legal challenges remain before the truck would be allowed to take the road.
AUTONOMOUS TRUCK DRIVING: TEN YEARS TO GO
"If the legislative framework for autonomous driving can be created quickly, the launch of the Highway Pilot is conceivable by the middle of the next decade," explains Dr. Wolfgang Bernhard, member of Daimler's Board of Management responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses.
"That's why Daimler Trucks is committed to maintain a dialogue with government officials and authorities, and with all other parties affected by this development. We believe the chances of success are good, because autonomous driving combines the ability to achieve business and technology objectives, with the creation of benefits for society and the environment."
Michael Brecht, who heads the Daimler works council, shares Bernhard's vision: "In the long run, the new technology has only advantages."
But even a consensual new technology requires consultation with all parties involved: "As head of the works council it is important for me that all stakeholders are consulted from the beginning... within our company, we test all elements for their functionality and acceptance at an early stage," Brecht says.
Unlike the pod-shape, two-seated driverless vehicle recently presented by Google, the Daimler truck still has a steering wheel as a safety measure. This allows a driver like Luft to intervene for critical manoeuvres, like overtaking a slower car in the left lane, similar to an aircraft being guided by an autopilot setting.
While the Google car is focused on individual urban transport over short distances, Volvo, the Swedish manufacturer, has also been developing driverless trucks as part of the European Unions Safe Road Trains for the Environment program. The program foresees creating a convoy of vehicles that follows a leader in an effort to reduce wind-drag and fuel costs. Only the trucks following the leader, which is in the hands of a driver, are able to function autonomously.
AN INTELLIGENT COMBINATION OF MAN AND MACHINE
Autonomous driving will inevitably also change the job profile of truck drivers. They will gain time for other activities than just driving the truck: office work, social interaction, and relaxation periods. Modern assistance systems not only help to improve road safety but also relieve driver stress.
"Modern assistance systems relieve driver stress and therefore help to improve traffic safety. Despite higher traffic densities and an approximately 80 per cent increase in transport volume in the road goods traffic sector, the number of road-users killed or seriously injured in accidents involving trucks has been reduced by almost half. There are many indications that further development of such assistance systems and their intelligent networking will continue this positive trend in the future," says Dr. Klaus Ruff, deputy head of prevention at the German Trade Association for Commercial Transport.
Much more relaxed driving will have a positive effect on the health of drivers. The stress factors involved in purely driving activities on Europe's arterial roads will be considerably reduced. The change in seating position during autonomous driving also means that the driver is no longer condemned to the same posture, but gains freedom of movement and can even perform light relaxation exercises while in transit.
With the Future Truck 2025, the driver is not only relieved of monotonous chores, but gains time for external communications and other tasks. This is accomplished by the driver switching from "workplace steering wheel" to "workplace office." Activities might include tasks that were previously reserved for dispatchers, or social contact with friends, family and colleagues.
Owner-drivers can perform office work conveniently while on the move, no longer working in the evenings or on weekends, and without delegation to others. The magic words are connectivity and networking. The "Highway Pilot" system is "always on" if needed. Invoicing the last transport assignment or completing last month's VAT return on the go is no longer a fantasy but a reality.
Using electronic media, the driver is also able to conveniently communicate with other people. Drivers can make appointments, obtain information about traffic or loading and unloading points, arrange to meet for breaks, attend to private matters and many other social activities.
One benefit is the ability to reserve a parking space in a service area or truck stop while in transit. The driver will be able to take a look at the online menu in advance, reserve a washroom and order a meal for the appropriate time. An acknowledgement is sent directly to the cab, including the parking space number and time.
"With autonomous driving, the truck and its driver become a team more than ever before, an intelligent, highly capable and cost-effective combination of man and machine," Bernhard concludes.
The "World Transport Reports" study, conducted by experts at the ProgTrans consulting company, predicts that freight transport volumes in the EU will increase by approximately 20 per cent between 2008 and 2025.
Market share of the various transport modes should remain virtually unchanged. Trucks will continue to account for around 75 per cent of all freight transported by road in the European Union. The volume of road transport in Germany alone will increase from 3.7 billion tons today to nearly 5.5 billion tons by 2050, according to the country's Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure. Reducing the cost of such shipments would spur economic growth.
EMPLOYMENT IMPACT
This boost would be welcome, especially because competition and cost pressures are growing in the freightforwarding sector. Rising fuel prices, road tolls and more stringent environmental regulations are making the purchase and operation of trucks more expensive, and it is also becoming increasingly difficult to find well-qualified truck drivers.
The Highway Pilot system will significantly upgrade the job profile of truck drivers. It will not only free them from having to perform monotonous tasks; it will also give them more time for tasks that were previously handled by office workers at shipping companies. In other words, it will be possible for truckers to advance to new positions as transport managers, making truck driving a more attractive profession. In this way, autonomous driving could also help to resolve the shortage of truck drivers.
MAKING THE PROFESSION MORE ATTRACTIVE
"If the workers realize that modern technology makes their job easier, this will help to increase the attractiveness of the profession. Already today, good drivers choose companies that provide inter alia modern vehicles, so that they arrive safely at the customer and back home," explains Dr. Ruff.
Luft and his colleagues agree: "Clearly, all of us would like to experience autonomous driving, and see how useful it would be for our daily work."
When asked whether he can foresee fully automatized trucks without a driver on board, Ruff still thinks that this would be difficult to imagine, however, he would "not exclude the possibility." Michael Brecht agrees, but does not expect to see a driverless truck for several decades.
In the long run, self-driving vehicles could put truck and taxi drivers out of work - or they could enable them to be more productive during the time they used to spend driving. They may even be able to earn more money. But for the better outcome to happen, the drivers would need new skills to do new types of jobs.
Michael Brecht resumes the discussion: "When we discuss these things with management, it becomes clear that we should not go for autonomous driving blinded by euphoria.