Robot trucks hit the road.

• Author: Denning, C.R.
• Position: Artifact - Daimler Freightliner Inspiration - Brief article

IN MAY, Nevada issued the first license for an autonomous big rig to Daimler Trucks North America. Though the truck is totally self-driving, for now Daimler's Freight-liner Inspiration functions like a commercial airliner--the driver uses manual controls until he reaches the highway and then activates autopilot.

This hybrid approach may end up beating fully self-driving cars in the race to ubiquity, since highway travel is more consistent than urban and suburban driving. The Freight liner Inspiration Truck's autonomous vehicle technology will make the wide-open road even more predictable. In a press release, Daimler Board Member Wolfgang Bernhard claimed it "will help reduce accidents, improve fuel consumption, cut highway congestion, and safeguard the environment."

Accidents involving heavy trucks were responsible for over 3,600 deaths in 2013, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety...