Heavy Duty Trucking, April 2019

HDT APRIL 2019 30 WWW TRUCKINGINFO COM Do autonomous control systems work too well for their own good Jack Roberts Senior Editor jroberts@ truckinginfo com @ By_ JackRoberts Autonomous vehicle control systems are already good enough to lull some drivers into being inattentive behind the wheel Jack has become known for his reporting on advanced technology such as intelligent drivetrains advanced driver assist systems autonomous vehicle technology truck platooning and alternative fuels He can be reached at jroberts@ truckinginfo com or 310 533 2521 heres been another fatal crash involving a Tesla electric car Various media outlets have reported on the crash which happened in late February near Delray Beach Florida and the eerie similarities between this accident and a 2016 Tesla crash near Gainesville Florida In both cases the cars collided with turning tractor trailers In the wake of the 2016 crash it was widely reported that the driver of the vehicle was watching a movie while the car drove itself down the highway although those reports have largely been repudiated A third high profile Tesla crash occurred near Salt Lake City Utah last May when a Model 3 Sedan under autonomous control hit a parked fire truck killing the driver Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into the Feb 24 crash which killed 50 year old Jeremy Banner According to the Palm Beach County Sheriffs Department Banners Tesla Model 3 hit a tractor trailer that crossed in front of the car making a left turn onto a divided highway The Tesla plowed into the drivers side of the tractor and had its roof sheared off as it passed under the trailer As of press time it is unknown if Banner was using autonomous control when the fatal accident occurred all though both federal agencies investigating the crash are keyed in on determining if that was case Autonomous vehicle control systems seem to be in a sort of never never land today Theyre not good enough to allow a driver to completely take his or her attention off the road But they are good enough to tempt many drivers into doing just that with sometimes fatal results Ive been lucky enough to sit behind the wheel several times while an autonomous control system or what OEMs prefer to call advanced driver assistance systems has steered a truck or car down a public road and the experience is truly unforgettable Those experiences are a big reason why Ive been so bullish about the ultimate acceptance and deployment of these systems in commercial vehicle operations But its important to keep in mind that the vision of autonomous technology Im thinking writing and speaking about will be very different from the versions being developed today For starters on every autonomous drive Ive taken there has been a minder engineer riding shotgun in the passenger seat to troubleshoot any problems with the control system and make certain the driver behind the wheel is actively engaged in monitoring vehicle systems road conditions and traffic Note too that autonomous control systems as impressive as they are are very primitive in terms of how they currently operate Driving a vehicle down a crowded highway is the most dynamic environment average human beings routinely operate in As a species we are hard wired to pick up on movement track it and instinctively judge speed trajectory route and destination of moving objects in ways that are still difficult for computers to mimic FUTURE FLEET T Another fatal Tesla crash in Florida similar to this one in 2016 is being investigated by both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board PHOTO NTSB