A Drugged Society is a pacified one ...

[Sako]

Automation today lands jetliners that weigh a good bit more than 80K#. The physics of higher mass are programmed into the controllers, and in that respect a larger less agile unit is easier to code than a small nimble one.

And they still have pilots in the plane just as we will always have drivers in our trucks. Our big concern is over regulation by state and federal regulators.

[S.A. Boggs]

And they still have pilots in the plane just as we will always have drivers in our trucks. Our big concern is over regulation by state and federal regulators.

Seems like some politician sees the trucking industry as an endless cash cow. If you own your own tractor trailer it appears that you are making a great deal of money, you are also spending a great deal of money on upkeep and running cost. I have been around tractors all of my life, it is a hard demanding work that takes a special type of person that not everyone can do. Dad said his big trouble 50 years ago was with the JP shops in the south and being a "Yankee" from Michigan.
Sam

[togor]

And they still have pilots in the plane just as we will always have drivers in our trucks. Our big concern is over regulation by state and federal regulators.

Oh there will be someone in the cockpit. To pay for fuel and deal with the load--rigging, unloading, etc. And to call for help if needed. But if regulatory relief (say number of hours on the road/day) is what you're looking for, well a computer pilot will never get tired. Lesser skill set to ride shotgun than to drive. Money to be saved there.

[bruce]

Driving is not rocket science. It's driving. My father and brother did it for years when rigs were much less sophisticated. Computers can run all sorts of things, even vehicles in outer space, etc. No reason they can't drive a vehicle on roads. It'll happen for the same reason robots now weld cars, etc. for auto manufacturers ... cheaper and better. It'll happen b/c companies will jump on the cheaper bandwagon. No different than automated check-out at supermarkets, etc. It's all about the money. No company is going to ignore the sound of money talking. Don't like it. Regret it. But that's the way it is. Sincerely. bruce.