Communications of the ACM
A Self-Driving Truck Delivered Butter from California to Pennsylvania in Three Days
An autonomou truck from startup Plus.ai took three days to drive 2,800 miles, from Tulare, CA, to Quakertown, PA, to deliver 40,000 pounds of butter for Land O'Lakes.
Credit: Plus.AI
Startup Plus.ai has completed what is being called the first commercial freight cross-country trip by an autonomous truck, a 2,800-mile-run from Tulare, CA, to Quakertown, PA, that took three days to deliver 40,000 pounds of butter for Land O'Lakes.
A human safety driver was aboard the autonomous 18-wheeler to take over if needed, accompanied by a safety engineer.
The company said the trip was a smooth one with zero "disengagements," which occur when a self-driving system has to be suspended because of a problem.
Ten to 15 companies in the U.S. are working on autonomous freight delivery, said Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities, who believes the trucking industry will be the first to adopt autonomous technology on a mass scale.
“When the trucks can go long distance, that's when there will be significant ROI (return on investment)."
From The Mercury News
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