Autonomous Trucks And Truckyards Are Now Replacing Drivers Amidst Protests

While the Canadian trucker protests – which ignited identical rallies over all the world – are continuing into their third week of occupation, truckers all over the world are at an ever-increasingly severe risk of losing their jobs, replaced by robots.

But this trend was already brewing before the end of January of this year.

On November 26th, CPR News reported on a Brighton, Colorado-based truckyard near Denver, that has more robots than people running the facility.

‘In a truck yard the size of a football field several miles north of Denver, a fleet of robotic trucks ferry semi-trailers between assigned spots and warehouse doors for 16 hours each day. A few humans keep watch. 

‘Zach Moss is a 37-year-old former truck driver who now spends much of his 8-hour shift at a desk inside a nearby warehouse. There, he queues up moves and watches yard activity on a computer screen as the 80,000 lb. robots outside do his former job.

‘If something seems off, Moss hits a kill switch. Otherwise, he works on administrative tasks, talks to his human coworkers or grabs a snack,’ wrote CPR News.

It’s a step up from being on the road all the time. It kind of blows my mind that we’re going in this direction.

Moss is a test technician for a company called Outrider, a company that seeks to outfit the thousands of truck, shipping, and container yards with their technology. Outrider’s site in Brighton is touted as the most automated in the nation.

‘Analysts say it’s a glimpse of what future shipping and freight yards will look like — a place where more robots than humans work, rendering people nearly obsolete,’ said the report.

These yards are one of the many bottlenecks in our current supply chain. As our economy becomes more knowledge and service oriented, this is just one of those dull, dirty and dangerous jobs that we’ll see the economy shifting away from.

Andrew Smith, Outrider’s founder and CEO; who says conventional yards are ‘dangerous and inefficient.’

Smith’s yard utilizes autonomous trucks. The process is simple: a physical driver delivers a semicontainer holding a voluminous number of different goods, and then an AI-powered truck takes over from there. Using their own proprietary software, a physical person queues up a truck to pickup a trailer, and then the truck operates throughout the lot.

‘Once in position, a robotic arm extends from the back of the truck. It scans the face of the trailer before connecting a pressurized air hose, which disengages the trailer’s parking brakes. Then, the arm hitches the trailer onto the truck.’

The truck then carries the trailer across the lot to the door of a warehouse. Once the truck and trailer are connected, a real person then takes over again from there.

It’s a very monotonous task that takes place millions of times a day in yards. The idea here is the person that was in that yard truck cab is now available to operate the system or do other work inside the warehouse, or be in the trucks that are over the road that can’t be autonomous today.

Smith added

According to CPR’s report, the The American Trucking Associations believes the U.S. is short around 80,000 truck drivers, and will only increase each year. But it’s not just America, but around the globe.

But because of this, companies are actively looking to alleviate these gaps and replace th workforce all together, by “getting rid of nightmarish jobs,” Nate Aswege, vice president of Prime Robotics said, stating we should not fear the change.

Read more about it here.

Driverless On The Streets

But it is not just the truckyards that are getting revamped, but truckers on the streets are also getting outmoded.

Published on December 29th, 2021, Electrek reported that TuSimple, a company that manufacturers autonomous trucks, said one of their trucks accomplished the world’s first fully-autonomous semi-truck ride on open public roads, without a single person in the vehicle driving, or someone controlling it remotely.

By achieving this momentous technical milestone, we demonstrated the advanced capabilities of TuSimple’s autonomous driving system and the commercial maturity of our testing process, prioritizing safety and collaboration every step of the way. This test reinforces what we believe is our unique position at the forefront of autonomous trucking, delivering advanced driving technology at commercial scale. This year, we were laser-focused on putting our technology through a rigorous test on open public roads under real-world conditions, and to see all our hard work and dedication come together is extremely rewarding.

Tu Simple president and CEO Cheng Lu said after the ride was completed

Bringing it to more recent times, Freight Waves reported on February 16th of this year, that a company called Waymo Via and C.H. Robinson have partnered to pilot test runs to analyze how to make autonomous trucking work for small fleets, on Interstate 45 in Texas.

Together, we are going to harness this emerging freight technology and its potential on behalf of customers and carriers. C.H. Robinson is also best positioned to represent the role of drivers and small and mid-size carriers in a more autonomous future.

Chris O’Brien, Robinson chief commercial officer, said in a press release. 

This collaboration is reported to continue for the next several years.

‘Waymo’s test fleet of Peterbilt trucks, powered by the Waymo Driver autonomous platform, delivered 862,179 pounds of freight by the end of the pilot, with no crashes or speeding events, 100% on-time pickup and delivery, and 100% of the freight intact, the company said in December.‘

Cut The Carbon

Even though the ‘autonomous attack’ is not here yet and become the “new normal,” mitigating emissions will get the world closer to these goals.

Again reported by Freight Waves the same day as the last, ‘The Biden administration will soon propose a regulation aimed at cutting nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from heavy-duty trucks. It would be the first such regulation since 2001.’

[The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)] is working on a proposed rule to reduce pollution from heavy-duty vehicles and engines that would significantly cut NOx emissions and update [greenhouse gas] standards for certain categories. These standards, currently subject to interagency review, will be rooted in the latest science and the law.

EPA spokesman Rick Conger stated in an email to FreightWaves.

Congor also said, in a separate case, the EPA is working to complete a decision that would restore a California waiver that allows the state to determine their own more restrictive measures. This was revoked under the Trump Administration.

Congor did not say if this new NOx regulation is patterned after California’s Advanced Clean Truck Regulations – a law that affects what vehicle people can purchase by the 2024 model year. A percentage of these vehicles will need to meet the criteria of zero-emission vehicle (ZEVs).

‘The most aggressive number for ZEV requirements under ACT is for Class 4-8 trucks, which range from 14,000 to 33,000 pounds. That requirement is that 9% in that class be ZEVs in model year 2024 and 75% by model year 2035. But for Class 7-8 tractors, it’s a 5% requirement in 2024 rising to 40% by the 2032 model year,’ the outlet explains.

Per California’s legal definitions, a ZEV is primarily-powered electric vehicle with a small port opening for hydrogen-powered fuel cells.

Freight Waves also said, ‘The Trump administration in 2020 proposed its own NOx rules for heavy-duty trucks to be phased in beginning in model year 2027, but the regulation was not finalized.’

Read more about the moves here.

Sell ‘Em

Bringing it to the current day, as the Canadian protests press on, though with heavier resistance from police – arresting hundreds of civilians and towing trucks out of the way – Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson suggests selling the impounded vehicles.

He told Canadian media that this would be a way to try and recoup some of the cash, to pay for all the money lost and damages reported done to the city.

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AUTHOR COMMENTARY

Regulars of The WinePress already know what I am going to say: it’s the age-old philosophy of Problem. Reaction. Solution.

Only this time, these moves to replace truckers were telegraphed before the artificial problem was presented. I’m sure this was all just a big “cowinky-dink” that the media and companies really began to push this just before the trucker protests, right? (sarcasm).

[27] An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire. [28] A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends. [29] A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good. [30] He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

Proverbs 16:27-30

As I have demonstrated in other reports, these trucker rallies are no doubt by design, scripted by the handlers at the top. Many of the people in attendance are organic, yes, but so were many of those at the Jan. 6th Capital Riots, and we all know just how comedically staged that one was. My point is, one of the goals to come out of these rallies are to get rid of the truckers, and replace them with the AI and robots. These protests will be a good alibi.

The Ottawa Trucker Protests Are Controlled Opposition. Police Are Caught Setting Up Bombs At Hotels

The U.S. Trucker “Convoy To D.C” Is Controlled Opposition

Ignite The Right: Protestors Swarm Canberra Australia To Stand Against Mandates. Police Raid Church Services

Consider this: we know that all these truckers in all nations are databased (which is not some “conspiracy,” as they have to get licensing and registration for it, shipping logs, social media, truckyard manifests, etc.). Therefore, arrested or not, or towed, these trucker’s licenses can be revoked; disregarding the vaccine mandates and creating a whole new problem.

This is the same problem that happened, similarly, to all those in attendance at the Jan. 6th Capital Riots. Now there are thousands of people who were innocently in attendance, who are now datalogged as potential terror threats, and put on watchlists. This is the same thing occurring now with the truckers.

My point is, this is not going to end well, and clearly autonomous truckers are coming whether you like it or not. Therefore, the truckers will get replaced one way or another. And not just them, but the farmers and the big machine drivers, too.

AI Farming Robot Sells Out As It Replaces Farmers

Moreover, this is aiding in and pointing towards the smart city agenda by 2030, where the masses will “Own Nothing And Be Happy.”

Agenda 2030: You’ll Own Nothing And Be Happy

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[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).

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