Jesus Wept - Now We Are To Have H G V Platoons ...

[sunny-dave]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-35737104

I honestly cannot believe that anyone with even a few brain cells still working thinks that this is a good/feasible idea ... are they all just completely insane??

[TWR]

No shouting Sevjk, just a bit of common sense I would think, I can not see this happening otherwise it would have been tried with Road Trains in OZ.

[Zacs-Master]

Erm....it is happening.

[mushroom25]

//Talk about re-inventing the wheel.//

not exactly douglas, but taking advantage of a growing need to shake up the industry. the UK's current logistics network was designed for out-and-back-in-a-day trips for distribution trucks, at a time when there was a lot less traffic on the roads. today that same system is still in use but there's much more traffic, meaning the delivery trucks can no longer make the same journeys, and some places are now out of reach of a day's travel. you'll see the effects of this most in your supermarkets, when there's no milk or bread on the shelves on a thursday evening, because the delivery truck got stuck in the traffic and didn't arrive. the whole logistics network needs rebuilding, and it makes sense to take advantage of any new technology at the same time - like building the new depots in locations where driverless platoons can be accommodated and received/despatched directly to the motorways.

[douglas9401]

I can imagine the delight when the "compulorry" sends the message 'couldn't complete that function, please try again' as it trundles over the odd Fiat 500.

[bhg481]

Perhaps nothing can match the driver at the wheel but drivers get drunk, play with their cellphone, watch TV on their smartphone, fall asleep, drive too fast in fog etc because they're human.

[Zacs-Master]

If Answerbank had been around in 1830, I'm sure some members would have been shouting about not being able to breath over 30mph and frightening horses etc. Jeez.

[Svejk]

You forgot 'cook their dinners', bhg.

[Svejk]

Power steering? Pah, what if it stopped working.

[bhg481]

Svejk - I didn't mention shaving either in case I upset the lady drivers.

[TWR]

I used to drive the things with Gate Gears & no power steering Sevjk, that's when driving WAS DRIVING.

[TWR]

Svejk ( Sorry)

[douglas9401]

I meant that all it's doing is duplicating the railways, mushroom25. It's already done by Tesco and Stobartrail and I'm sure there are others. Containerised trains taking 20+ trucks off the road and moving on a segregated, dedicated and properly supervised and controlled network is already here. No need for the geeks to show us how clever they are in this instance.
This idea has no place on a small island

[Svejk]

Remember that bloke who put his Winnebago in 'cruise control' and went in the back to make a coffee. ;-( lol.

[TWR]

Svejk, there are HGVs coming in from all country's with Fax Machines, lap tops within their cabs, talk about work within work.

[mushroom25]

//This idea has no place on a small island //

the government is thinking ahead. the EU will force the adoption of 60T and 80T trucks on the community's roads. Rail freight economics are already at best marginal and when these bigger trucks arrive, they will give road freight an economy of scale it's never had, which will spell the end of rail freight in the UK. thus there needs to be a strategy for dealing with the many more road vehicles that will need accommodating - computolorries is one such idea that is entirely feasible.

[ToraToraTora]

can't wait for several hundred tonnes of death and destruction. All this driver less fervour reminds me of the house robot thing in the 50s! PMSL

[tonyav]

BMW's vision of the ( not to distant ) future.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/cars/enthusiasts/bmw-vision-next-100-meet-the-bmw-of-the-future/ss-BBqqF6Q#image=1

[Togo]

//But the company has a requirement that a human driver be present and focused on the road at all times.//

Bit pointless then really. Anyway will plod book these guys for tail gaiting and lane hogging?

[tonyav]

I wonder how much money BMW has put into this '' bit pointless'' vision

Strange thing is I don't see any indicators.

[jourdain2]

I suppose that if they sent them off at 5min. per lorry intervals it wouldn't be so bad. I am horrified at the thought of a convoy of the things blocking entrances and exits. TBH this is where railways (and canals -anyone thought of that for non-perishables?) come in.