The trucking industry is continually exploring autonomous technology for trucks. Self-driving trucks have many advantages for trucking companies, though those advantages will likely come at the expense of the employment of human truck drivers. Advocates of autonomous technology claim the trucks will have fewer accidents because:

• The trucks won’t be operated by drivers who are fatigued or drowsy
• The trucks won’t be distracted by smartphones, GPS systems, eating, or other causes of driver distraction
• Self-driving trucks won’t be operated by drivers who are intoxicated

Autonomous trucks will always drive the speed limit and follow other traffic laws because of their programming.

Goals of the Waymo/Daimler partnership

The Detroit Bureau recently announced that Waymo and Daimler have joined forces to develop autonomous trucks. The partnership will begin with the development of Daimler’s Class 8 Freightliner Cascadia truck, in which Waymo will use its autonomous driving technology. Waymo has been working on self-driving truck technology for Class 8 trucks since 2017 in several western states.

Daimler AG’s North American subsidiary competes with Volvo and Tesla for the heavy truck segment sector. Currently, Daimler AG has 70 percent of that market. The German company said that in addition to Waymo’s technology, they are also working on their own self-driving technology. In this way, consumers should have a choice of autonomous technologies to choose from as early as next year.

Waymo’s technology, called Waymo One, has been in development for three years, logging more than 20 million miles during that time. The partnership allows Waymo to research many other on-road scenarios to make its computer system better. Waymo said that, “When designing a new platform, we work closely with our OEM partners to ensure we can integrate our Waymo Driver seamlessly into their vehicles and manufacture them easily.”

A Waymo representative said that its current autonomous system uses light detection and ranging (lidar), cameras, and radar, which will be adapted into the new trucks to prevent things that cause truck accidents, like blind spots.

A Daimler representative said that “the combination of increased road freight volumes and the need and vision of fleet operators for highly automated trucks, is what fuels our relentless pursuit of innovation.” Daimler’s representative said the company wants to balance safety needs with improving customer efficiency. They hope their partnership with Waymo will give fleet customers the best choices possible for their trucking needs.

At Delius & McKenzie, PLLC, our truck accident lawyers have been fighting for injured drivers, passengers, and pedestrians for more than 20 years. We file negligence and product liability claims against drivers, trucking companies, and manufacturers. To discuss your injuries or the death of a loved one, call us at (865) 428-8780 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We represent truck injury victims in Sevierville, Seymour, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and the surrounding Tennessee areas.