Truck Trains

[Doug99]

So the concept involves 3 trucks with 3 drivers. Driver 1 steers and manages brakes/accelerator as normal. Drivers 2 and 3 only steer as the speed/braking is managed by Wifi from truck 1.

The aim is to reduce pollution as trucks 2 and 3 will maintain a close and constant distance from truck 1 to reduce drag, fuel consumption (and hence pollution).

I do not envy drivers 2 and 3 as they will not be able to see the road/traffic ahead of them to easily prepare for any change of road direction. They will also be required to remain alert to react to any 'emergency'. The attention span of a truck driver constantly staring at a truck rear end from a range of only 12' will be retained for how long I wonder?

Its an accident waiting to happen on a much larger scale than the 'hands free car' bumps that have occurred during recent trials.

 

[bernardgreen]

Disaster that will happen...... With the drivers being at high risk of their cabs being crushed if a vehicle does an emergency stop and it's brakes and tyres are more effective than the linked vehicle immediately behind it.

The radio linkage could be compromised by many things.

Changing lane..... How would the driver at the front know that the tail of the last vehicle was clear of vehicles in the lane he was moving into ?

 

[Ihavenojob]

Roundabouts, traffic lights going to amber as 1st truck passes, box junctions. etc etc etc. What ****ing idiot thought this up?

 

[EFLImpudence]

Is there a reason road trains are not allowed in Britain?

The difference is what?

 

[bernardgreen]

An experimental truck guidance system was tried and abandoned by a German software company in the 1970's . It used a pattern of targets on the rear of the lead vehicle and a scanning system on the guided vehicle. The theory was good and it is said that it worked on a test track with smooth surface. No information known about any tests on real roads.

 

[breadnbutter]

i heard drivers 2 and 3 are only there to test it, once there no probs, only one driver will be at the front.

its crazy, absolutely total nuts.

 

[Ihavenojob]

Is there a reason road trains are not allowed in Britain?

The difference is what?

They are used in remote areas of Australia, USA, Canada which are quite large compared to Britain.

 

[EFLImpudence]

Yes, precisely, road trains are not allowed in Britain so how is three lorries in a row controlled by a man in the front any different?

 

[Doggit]

Come on guys, we didn't envisage driverless cars a couple of years ago. They're going to need to be painted in garish colours so they stand out, and there'll very likely be instructions on the side to warn people, but we've got Tesla designing nearly autonamous cars, so whilst part of me balks at the idea, I'll try and keep an open mind on this one.

 

[Ihavenojob]

The reason behind it will be, 3 lorries with a driver each = 3 wages. 3 lorries with 1 driver = 1 wage & more money for rich owners at the risk of death to Joe public.

 

[Corgigrouch GTi]

Relax... The plan is that the vehicles will only be driverless for trunking on motorways where there will be depots just off the motorway where the vehicles will then collect their drivers for the local part of the journey.... It would be impractical to have a linked vehicle system on any other kind of road.... Roundabouts and traffic lights would cause chaos...

Of course the question that could then be asked, why have three vehicles, each with a 420 horse power engine when as has been suggested above, we could just as easily have one 650 horsepower engine pulling three trailers? Oddly enough, I do actually know the answer to that but I don't want to upset anyone as the finger points to the establishment with two letters ending in "U" and beginning with "E" and is all about power to weight ratios, if my memory serves me right

 

[flameport]

Doomed from the start. Doesn't matter how good the computers are, or the communications between vehicles, or how much testing is done or anything else.
The system cannot accommodate mechanical failure.

Things like a loss of engine power due to some minor malfunction, a seized brake caliper, busted air line or even a blown tyre.
Events that in most cases just result in the vehicle being steered to the side of the road and awaiting repairs.

With 3 or more close together in a line, those kind of incidents will be a multi vehicle pileup every single time guaranteed.

 

[big-all]

one man 50 wagons traveling at 60-75mph ??
it happens already

 

[Doggit]

With 3 or more close together in a line, those kind of incidents will be a multi vehicle pileup every single time guaranteed

But would that be any worse than for any other pile up. The distances normal lorries go without a breakdown, shows a great degree of reliabaility, and I'm sure there'll be safeguards in place for any issues. Nothings certain in life, and if you try and handle every possibility, then we'd never move forward.

 

[Corgigrouch GTi]

one man 50 wagons traveling at 60-75mph ??
it happens already

My thoughts exactly...