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Short article on the Port of Virginia testing autonomous trucks. Containers received at the port are either hauled away by trucks or rail. Integrating autonomous trucks into the system could result in improved efficiencies in delivering and receiving containers. Actual implementation is likely a few years out, but automation coupled with less reliance on human intervention will be changing the way operations look in the future.

With the trucking industry continuing to move forward, the main thing on truck drivers' minds is the security of their jobs. Let's take a closer look at self-driving trucks quickly becoming a reality.

Fully electric trucks, often referred to as commercial battery electric trucks, are reaching wider-scale consideration as truck, engine, and other component makers are developing the systems that will support such vehicles. Battery and power-electronic development has progressed to make these trucks viable in certain applications. These trucks will have many benefits (more renewable energy, simpler design, etc.), but come with challenges (need for new infrastructure, development investments, etc.).

Kodiak's fourth-generation truck features a modular and discreet sensor suite in just three locations: a slim profile "center pod" on the front roofline of the truck, and pods integrated into both of the side mirrors. This well-integrated and low profile sensor placement vastly simplifies sensor installation and maintenance, and increases safety. The new generation of Kodiak self-driving trucks will improve the robustness of the autonomous system. It was designed with greater fleet uptime, manufacturing, and serviceability in mind--all of which are critical to scale quickly, safely and efficiently.

Estimates from the American Trucking Association suggest there are 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the United States and the industry, as a whole, employs more than 8.7 million people. According to the Los Angeles Times, 1.7 million American truckers could be replaced by self-driving trucks over the next decade.

Supply chain and fleet management solutions company Ryder is partnering with yet another autonomous trucking company. On Thursday, Ryder announced its plans to help Embark launch a nationwide network of up to 100 transfer points that will be owned and operated by the autonomous trucking developer.

But by late 2019, Aurora's emphasis had shifted. It said self-driving trucks, not cars, would be quicker to hit public roads en masse. Its executives, who had steadfastly refused to provide a timeline for their self-driving-car software, now say trucks equipped with its "Aurora Driver" will hit the roads in 2023 or 2024, with ride-hail vehicles following a year or two later.

The hub in South Dallas will be Waymo's "primary operations center" in the state for its fleet of autonomous trucks. The hub will be built to accommodate "hundreds of trucks and personnel" as the company gets closer to launching a full-scale freight-hauling operation using its fully autonomous vehicles - though Waymo has yet to say exactly when that will be.

You know that universal sign we give truckers, hoping they'll sound their air horns? Well, you're gonna be hearing a lot less honking in the future. And with good reason. The absence of an actual driver in the cab. We may focus on the self-driving car, but autonomous trucking is not an if, it's a when. And the when is coming sooner than you might expect. As we first reported last year, companies have been quietly testing their prototypes on public roads

he Global Autonomous Truck Market size is projected to reach USD 1,550 million by 2030

Self-driving commercial trucks could regularly operate alongside the motoring public on U.S. highways sooner than many may think, particularly as the industry moves beyond prototypes to real-world, on-road testing. However, the shift likely will be gradual and largely dependent on commercial truck OEMs, regulations, and gaining public acceptance.

Driverless trucks are already heading out to the highway, as shipping companies increasingly look to autonomous technology to meet rising demand for goods. The focus now: determining the best way to hand off trailers from machine to human.

What would most revolutionize logistics over the next few years? The most obvious answer is autonomous trucking. But when will this technology become operational? Will it take decades? A decade? Or can we get there in the next few years? That is the core question.

Article about the administration mobilizing some national guard troops to help with the supply chain issues. The idea is that truck drivers and others could be used to help free up some of the bottlenecks. The idea probably won't go far, but reflects the how important the current supply problems are to the current administratioin.

Article reviews how supply chain problems are more than bottlenecks at that ports. Lack of truck drivers and availalbility of rail contribute to delays. The article mentions a lot of things that need to be addressed before commerce flows like it once was. A key takeawy is the interconnectivity of ports with other elements of the entire transportation and supply distribution system.

Autonomous technology won't just transform your business. It will utterly revolutionize modern truck designs as well.

When autonomous trucks arrive, the learning curve will be steep. But a few easy preparations today can help make that eventual transition from manned trucks to autonomous ones go a lot more smoothly.

We all have a futuristic vision of lonely robot trucks running alone through a dark desert night in our heads. But, in reality, the first automated commercial vehicle you see "in the wild," will most likely be a truck or van running in a controlled area - possibly under some sort of remote human control or monitoring. For most of us, this probably will be some sort of airport or hotel shuttle bus, running a dedicated route on a dedicated timetable, performing a monotonous, but demanding, task over and over again.