[tCfD]

Tires blowing out are a much bigger (in terms of simple cost and the thornier problem of schedule optimization and ability to guarantee precise delivery times) and much more common of a problem than mechanical breakdowns. They're also a problem that does not go away with autonomous trucks or electric motors or anything conceivably around the corner, outside of some miraculous development in materials science.

As such, a (somewhat) well-organized industry has developed around getting replacement supplies like tires and other accessories to the site of a breakdown as quickly as possible, and this would simply need to be extended to include whatever it is autonomous trucks would require that doesn't touch the road.

[jpm_sd]

Why do tires blow out? Do they have a predictable lifespan? If there is a huge cost savings associated with autonomous driving, could some of those $$$ be put toward more frequent tire changes that prevent blowouts from happening?

(edit) Personal injury lawyers assert that it is largely a preventative maintenance issue:

http://www.kennedyhodges.com/library/the-dangers-of-a-truck-...

https://braunslaw.com/library/why-catastrophic-truck-tire-bl...

http://www.attorneystevelee.com/library/the-dangers-and-caus...

[louden]

It is much more than a lack of maintenance. The weight of the cargo, the temperature of the road, the way the cargo is distributed in/on the trailer and manufacture defects can all contribute to blowouts of servicable tires. Those issues also make the lifespan of identical tires vary by thousands of miles traveled.

While replacing tires more frequently would reduce the number of blowouts, it would be very wasteful. In the US, DOT inspections are frequent and they look at the tires to make sure they are in good condition.

[crazynick4]

It's interesting that you bring up this point because these are all aspects that would have to be taken into consideration before autonomous highway driving is safe for trucks, tire blowouts aside.

Most people think of driving on a highway as the simplest thing there is, but when you have tens of thousands of pounds, sometimes unevenly loaded, sometimes as barrels of liquid that slosh around and change your center of gravity, all that on a stormy, windy, icy day driving in the mountains, it can make for very uncomfortable driving. Is it solvable? I don't see why not, but I think it might be a bit more difficult than it sounds.

[SEJeff]

And 9% of the fatal driving incidents with big trucks are caused by distracted drivers betweent 2014-2016: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/saf...

Interesting compilation of stats: https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety/data-and-statistics/large-t...

For every single liquid load, there are likely 50 non-liquid loads that can be better if automated. Perhaps humans only did the "dangerous" loads such as gasoline, or barrels of oil, etc? I think this isn't so black and white, but really is more of a shade of grey. Some things humans can do well autonomous trucks will do poorly. Some things humans do very poorly autonomous trucks will do very well. One of the other things is simple economics. There will likely never be autonomous truck unions picketing for shorter hours or higher pay. Note that I've got nothing against truckers unions, but think the sheer economics of the issue to carriers will inevitably force the issue eventually. The first carrier to seriously use autonomous trucking will likely be capable of delivering products to customers for cheaper, creating an imbalance in the industry. Every other company will be forced to compete, with a downward race on wages.

An approach like this for coal miners in Appalachia could work: https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/05/06/47...