DC Velocity - August 2017

www.dcvelocity.com AUGUST 2017 DC VELOCITY 39 ations beyond 1,000 miles could “strike at the heart” of intermodal’s value proposition of cost-effective long-haul services.

Clair said the effect of autonomous trucks on the competitive landscape would first be felt through lower motor carrier insurance premiums as insurers incorporate newfangled safety improvements into their underwriting standards. But Todd Denton, managing director, transportation and logistics, for London-based insurance giant Aon plc, which has long experience in trucking, cautioned against making such a black-and-white assumption. Denton acknowledged that technologies enabling automated braking and collision avoidance are positive developments. But he warned against an overreliance by humans on technology, which could create a new set of safety concerns and liability issues if a driver in the cab can’t react fast enough during the critical seconds before a collision.

An accident involving autonomous trucks could open up a Pandora’s Box of liability issues involving truck manufacturers and deep-pocketed technology providers if it is determined that a system error, not driver error, was the cause, Denton said. What’s more, there is a host of unanswered questions as to fault should a cyberattack lead to an accident by causing a truck to malfunction, he said.

For now, there is only one safe assumption: that autonomous truck technology will be ready before many in business and the public are prepared to embrace it. Federal truck safety regulators are just now starting down a long road toward shaping a driverless future. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), a subagency of the Department of Transportation, has already assigned three task forces to the project, according to Larry Minor, FMCSA’s head of policy.

Among the many issues on the table will be whether federal law governing the length of a driver’s workday, which includes the hours a driver can be behind the wheel, should be adjusted to account for a driver’s effectively becoming a passenger for most of a trip. Again, as the theory goes, the longer a driver can stretch a workday, the more productive that driver can be.

Yet truckers are likely to find labor savings capped if drivers still need to be hired and retained, even if it means just having them seated in the cab. Furthermore, said John Bagileo, a long-time transportation attorney, drivers accompanying autonomous trucks may need to be trained in a new and sophisticated type of roadside maintenance should a system glitch occur far from any mechanic. Mastering that skill set will come at a cost to truckers and drivers alike, Bagileo said.

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