Self-Driving Trucks Could Soon Follow Route 83 from Canada, to the US, to Mexico

Plans to introduce autonomous trucks that will carry cargo along Route 83 are underway, with vehicles such as the self-driving Inspiration Truck being included in a blueprint that will see vehicle corridors specifically designed for the autonomous fleet being introduced on the long stretch of road.

The Central North American Trade Corridor Association are currently devising a system that will allow a safe passageway for the vehicles to travel through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South and North Dakota, before continuing into Manitoba. While project head Marlo Anderson conceded that the general public would be skeptical about having autonomous vehicles lining their roads, he added: “They don’t need to worry about a driver having too many hours in a day or in a week. Those types of things go by the wayside because the vehicle doesn’t care.”

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Daimler Trucks’ Inspiration Truck has been given the go-ahead to take to US roads, though the vehicle isn’t entirely driverless. While it boasts artificial intelligence that allows it to navigate towards its destination, it still requires a driver at its helm in order to change lanes or avoid unexpected hazards. 

Considering that the purpose of autonomous trucks is to grant drivers a break, it’s therefore not entirely certain how useful these trucks will be, given that their drivers will always have to remain alert even if they aren’t holding the wheel. However, they form the foundation of tech that could be used in future that will allow for truly autonomous trucks, similar to the Google Car, with the proposed vehicle corridor in Route 83 allowing them to safely travel to their destinations around the US, Canada and Mexico.

The CNATCA is currently working with the US, Canadian and Mexican government in order to make these plans a reality, which along with easing the workload for drivers will also allow for more cargo to be passed along the borders, with Anderson explaining that the heavy amount of energy production taking place in North Dakota inevitably leading to commodities other than oil having to be distributed by trains. A separate vehicle corridor for an autonomous truck fleet would ensure that this cargo could be carried by truck alone.

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