Independent Contractor - August 2019

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Independent Contractor NEWS August 2019 Starsky Robotics runs 18-wheeler on Florida Turnpike; no human on board It the race to develop autonomous truck technology, Starsky Robotics separated itself from the pack June 16, when the company ran one of its automated 18-wheelers on a 9.4-mile stretch of the Florida Turnpike near Orlando without a human being on board. Instead, a safety driver sat at a console at the company’s facility in Jacksonville, watching a collection of monitors fed by the truck’s onboard cameras. The console was equipped with a small steering wheel and accelerator and brake pedals with which he could perform last-mile and other operations. Now, whether the feat truly qualifies as “autonomous,” “self-driving” or “driverless” is a matter for the Word Police to decide and competitors to argue over. By any name, the company is chalking it up as a victory and a major step in its long-term strategy. Founded in 2016 in San Francisco, where it is still based, by Stefan Seltz-Axmacher and Kartik Tiwari, Starsky Robotics got its operating authority in 2017. While developing driverless technology, the company is also a traditional carrier with about three dozen trucks operating throughout the Lower 48. Meanwhile, Starsky has been conducting progressively ambitious experiments with driverless technology. According to Seltz- Axmacher, the company’s approach to driverless technology is less about replacing humans altogether but to create a system where the machines can do what they do best and humans can still do the parts of the job they do better than the machines. In this latest test, the remote driver maneuvered the truck from its starting point at a rest stop and onto the highway. He also ordered a lane change and handled the last-mile maneuvering when it was time to exit. This turnpike test run, conducted in normal driving conditions, is the latest in a series of progressively more ambitious experiments. In February 2018, Starsky successfully ran one of its trucks at low speed along a 7-mile stretch of closed road in Southern Florida. In May this year, they operated a truck at a sustained 55 mph on a closed portion of the Selmon Expressway near Tampa. In interviews, Seltz-Axmacher has said that 55 mph is the intended highway speed at which Starsky will run its automated trucks commercially. Earlier in June, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law allowing commercial vehicles to operate on public roads without the presence of human drivers on board. The new law replaces a law enacted in 2012 that required a human driver on board vehicle operating on public property for any reason other than testing. The law goes into effect July 1. Starsky’s goal is to have 20-25 driverless trucks operating commercially in 2020, training traditional drivers to be teleoperators. 18 INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR 2019 HUNDREDS OF JOBS www.TruckJobSeekers.com
Independent Contractor NEWS Drivewyze expands weight station bypass service with 4 new locations in Pennsylvania Drivewyze has expanded its weigh station bypass service with four new locations in Pennsylvania. The new sites are part of a 12-month pilot program that will allow data to be gathered to demonstrate the effectiveness of weigh station bypass, while providing bypass opportunities for Drivewyze customers. The sites, south and northbound on Interstate 83 in Newberry (York County), and south and northbound on I-79 near Hadley (Mercer County), represent the major arteries for truck traffic in Pennsylvania. I-83 is a major lane from the south up to the New England states, while I-79 is a major thoroughfare for truckers coming down from Ontario to go through Pennsylvania for southern-bound deliveries. According to Brian Heath, president and CEO of Drivewyze, the activation of the Pennsylvania bypass program gives Drivewyze equipped carriers with continuing service from the bordering states of Maryland, West Virginia and New York. “With I-83 and I-79 being main passageways, customers with top safety scores will have the opportunity to get bypass service through several states,” Heath said. “This then allows law enforcement to concentrate its inspection efforts on at-risk carriers. We all want unsafe trucks off the road, along with a more efficient transportation system. By working together with the agencies in Pennsylvania we can help accomplish this goal.” With the Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass service on their Drivewyze-enabled electronic logging devices, telematics devices, smartphones and tablets, customers can now receive bypass opportunities at more than 800 locations, in 45 states and provinces. The Drivewyze PreClear weigh station bypass application is available on a number of Drivewyze partner platforms, including ISAAC Systems, Omnitracs, Orbcomm, Platform Science, Rand McNally, Switchboard, Transflo, and Trimble. The application is also available for drivers to download on Android and iOS-based smartphones or tablets. Fleets can request a free weigh station activity report to help them determine how much time and money they could save by using Drivewyze PreClear. Drivewyze comes with a free Weigh Station Heads-Up service for real-time notifications at more than 1,200 weigh stations and inspection sites nationwide, and Drivewyze subscribed fleets also receive the valuable Insights Safety Reporting service. To learn more about Drivewyze, please visit drivewyze.com. HUNDREDS OF JOBS www.TruckJobSeekers.com INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR 2019 19
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Independent Contractor - August 2019

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