What will the future of transportation be, sustainable, safe, or even autonomous? Over the years, digitalization and process automation have continued to transform entire industries. The automotive industry may usher in a new major change. And trucks are likely to be one step ahead before cars go on their own.
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Self-driving trucks
The basic concept of autonomous driving is very simple: the vehicle can automatically accelerate, brake and steer without the need for a driver to operate. Drivers can act like passengers, doing their own thing while the vehicle is moving, such as reading, working, or simply closing their eyes. For them, the experience of autonomous driving is more comfortable and safer, because the chance of computer error is smaller than that of humans, and the reaction time is shorter, which is crucial at critical moments.
Autonomous driving fills the truck driver gap
Autonomous driving could become a real game changer in the logistics industry: for trucks, autonomous driving means not only that drivers work less intensively, but also that drivers are no longer needed. Currently, truck drivers need to comply with strict regulations such as strict driving times and break times. Therefore, truck drivers often need to stop and rest during transportation, so as to minimize the safety hazards caused by fatigue driving. Autonomous driving allows trucks to drive continuously on their own, no longer dependent on drivers, and without rest.
To this end, there are fears that autonomous driving will lead to a large number of drivers losing their jobs, but this also ignores a serious challenge facing the industry today - the shortage of truck drivers, which is also a global problem. Taking Germany as an example, according to statistics, the shortage of truck drivers has reached 45,000 in 2020, and it will reach 185,000 by 2027.
In this regard, China also faces challenges. According to the "2021 Truck Driver Employment Survey Report" released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing, compared with the results of the 2016 survey, the age distribution of domestic truck drivers has obviously shifted to the middle and old age groups, and there has been a long-term lack of fresh blood injection. According to statistics, the current mainland truck driver employees are about 30 million, but the gap has reached 10 million.
Autonomous driving: state-of-the-art technology
A prerequisite for autonomous driving is data. Just as we collect information with our senses, then processed by the brain, and finally made a decision, autonomous vehicles collect data through their sensors. Multiple cameras installed in front, rear and side of the vehicle can be used to comprehensively scan the vehicle's surrounding environment to detect potential obstacles in real time, calculate the distance from obstacles, and analyze the speed of their continuous approach, and then the on-board computer will decide how to drive the vehicle according to these data.
Airplanes are autonomous
Although autonomous driving is still in its early stages in road traffic, it has long been the standard model in the field of aviation and aerospace. When the aircraft reaches a certain altitude, the pilot can activate the autopilot without the need to manually control the aircraft. The pilot only manually controls the aircraft when it descends below a specified altitude or requires additional intervention. All this is achieved through sensors, which transmit signals to the airborne computer, which then forwards the control pulse to the servo motor, thus achieving hydraulic balancing of the aircraft rudder.
This relieves stress on pilots, who can focus entirely on monitoring the aircraft's functions and monitoring airspace conditions during autonomous driving, thus being fully prepared for potential hazards. From this point of view, as long as we have been on a plane, we have actually experienced automatic transportation, but we just don't realize it.
Autonomous trucks are connected
In the future, the exchange of data between different trucks and cars will contribute to the safety of autonomous vehicles. Through technologies such as 5G, vehicles can communicate in real time in connected road systems and share their location, speed, and other relevant information with other vehicles.
Connected systems cover areas that cannot be adequately monitored by a single driver. If there is a potential source of danger in the monitoring blind area, the interconnection system will warn the vehicle in advance, and the vehicle will intervene autonomously. Because even if the reaction time of self-driving cars or trucks is shorter than that of humans, the braking distance of the car is not short. Therefore, providing the right information at the right time is crucial to avoid accidents.
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There are still irreplaceable advantages of autonomous driving
Autonomous vehicles can identify not only potential obstacles, but also road signs and associated traffic rules, including the lanes traveled, directions, and applicable priority rights of passage, and even consider the possibility of obstacles and identify the type of obstacle, such as pedestrians, cars, or fixed obstacles. Autonomous vehicles can also predict by probability whether an obstacle will move out of the danger zone on its own or remain stationary.
Today's self-driving technology is already very advanced, but there are still limitations. Autonomous driving outperforms drivers in many ways, but humans are still one step ahead in understanding complex road conditions. Currently, self-driving technology does not respond to nonverbal communication and cannot solve unknown complexities.
What autonomous driving means for the logistics industry
The development of autonomous driving technology is particularly relevant to the logistics industry. On the one hand, truck drivers are in extreme shortage, and on the other hand, autonomous driving can make logistics more sustainable, safer and more efficient. The application of autonomous driving in the field of logistics is also quite well documented.
★ The shortage of truck drivers can be partially alleviated.
★ Self-driving trucks don't need to take a break and can travel longer distances and perform more tasks in the same amount of time.
★ Improved safety: According to statistics, more than 90% of road traffic accidents are caused by the driver's human error. Autonomous driving will effectively solve this problem.
★ Trucks traveling front and back can communicate with each other to optimize traffic flow, which is also known as platooning. Once the truck in front brakes, the rear truck can automatically apply the same degree of braking in the same second and then accelerate again. This will reduce the risk of congestion and increase traffic flow while reducing fuel consumption.
★ At present, the application of digitalization and automation in the logistics industry is very mature, and robots are becoming more common in warehouse equipment. Based on the existing infrastructure, it will be easier to integrate self-driving trucks into the logistics system, which will further promote the development of the logistics industry.
Large-scale autonomous driving tests are currently being conducted around the world, both to monitor the safety of technology and to find solutions to improve traffic efficiency, including reducing traffic congestion, speeding up driving, and reducing emissions. Perhaps autonomous driving is still in its early stages, but there may be breakthroughs in the next few years, and this is not only due to the shortage of drivers.
Self-driving trucks:
Many issues remain to be resolved
Although the popularity of autonomous driving continues to rise, it must be admitted that autonomous driving still has a long way to go. This includes both the refinement of technology and the improvement of safety and reliability, as well as the testing and research of whether the current transportation network is suitable for autonomous driving. At the same time, the improvement of the legal aspect also needs to be taken into account, such as the identification of the subject of accident responsibility.
summary
Without the need for a steering wheel in hand, we can also control the future direction of traffic. Today, various assistance systems are already being used in driving, key technologies such as 5G are being continuously promoted, and car manufacturers and software companies are meticulously outlining the future of transportation. In the long run, self-driving technology can not only fill the gap for truck drivers, but also improve road traffic safety. Given that accidents caused by human error account for 90% of all traffic accidents, safety is also the most important consideration.
It may take decades for cars and trucks to get rid of the steering wheel. During this time, we will witness continuous technological advancements, in-depth discussions on legal issues, and further maturation of logistics systems. DHL will continue to invest in the logistics of the future.
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