Driverless Trucks On-Duty in Canada

CALGARY — Self-driving trucks are hard at work and more of them are on the way.

No, we’re not talking about the autonomous driving truck that Daimler Trucks North America rolled out in May and it getting the first license plate anywhere to legally operate on the roadways. 

Rather, we are talking about the biggest of the big rigs that are already operating in Northern Alberta’s oil sands.

A story in Monday’s National Post details how these 400-ton heavy-haulers are able to get around without a driver.

It seems oil companies in the region have been using self-driving capable rigs in these off-road conditions for some time, though they still have a driver inside them, while they are being tested.

Upping the ante is that Canada’ largest oil company, Suncor Energy, recently inking a five-year deal to purchase 175 “autonomous ready” trucks from the Japanese company Komatsu.

According to the story, Suncor has been testing these trucks since 2013 and could possible bring them online, without a driver, as early as 2017.

Read more about this from the National Post.

 


Have your say


This is a moderated forum. Comments will no longer be published unless they are accompanied by a first and last name and a verifiable email address. (Today's Trucking will not publish or share the email address.) Profane language and content deemed to be libelous, racist, or threatening in nature will not be published under any circumstances.

*