“The speed at which all this data flows to a remote human pilot operating an
autonomous truck is fundamental to avoiding a collision,” says Steve Viscelli, senior
fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and
author of The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream.
MAXIMUM SPEED AHEAD
16
Autonomous cars and trucks are those in which automated driving systems (ADS)
do some, most, or all of the driving. There are five levels of autonomous driving, as
outlined by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). These
levels capture a progressively increasing use of ADS in driving a vehicle, with Level 4
describing a vehicle that is capable of performing all driving functions under certain
conditions, and Level 5 describing a vehicle capable of performing all driving functions
under all conditions.
When Levels 4 and 5 will occur in great numbers on the road has long been a matter
of debate, though many experts believe that fully autonomous commercial vehicles like
trucks will hit the roads first. “Large numbers of unmanned trucks will be on highways
and other roads before we see fully self-driving cars,” says Kartik Tawiri, co-founder
and CTO of Starsky Robotics, a leading manufacturer of autonomous trucks.
LEVELS OF AUTONOMOUS DRIVING
HUMAN MONITORED
MACHINE MONITORED
LEVEL 0
No Automation
All driving
functions
are manually
controlled by
driver.
LEVEL 1
Driver
Assistance
The vehicle
features a
single automated
function,
such as cruise
control or lane
detection.
LEVEL 2
Partial
Automation
The vehicle can
automate multiple
functions
in limited situations,
such as
limited-access
freeways.
LEVEL 3
Conditional
Automation
The vehicle
can control
most driving
functions in
some situations,
but human
override is
still required.
LEVEL 4
High
Automation
The vehicle
can control
all driving
functions
under certain
conditions.
Human override
is optional.
LEVEL 5
Full
Automation
The vehicle
controls all
driving
functions
without a
human driver.