THE AUTONOMOUS FRONTIERHow Penske and TuSimple ship freight across three states using SAE L4 autonomous trucks

POST-EVENT BRIEF

SAE Live Brief | July 20202

From three separate locations, a robust conversation about the future of the autonomous trucking industry engaged attendees during the inaugural SAE Live event. SAE Live, a free, ongoing conversation series, offers the promise of delivering the leading voices in mobility who are impacting the way society connects, works and travels.

In a time when in-person conversations aren’t possible, SAE International convened Chuck Price, Chief Product Officer at TuSimple, and Bill Combs, Vice President of Connected Vehicle Strategy & Experimentation at Penske Transportation Solutions, for a video chat with moderator Grayson Brulte to discuss the world’s first Autonomous Freight Network (AFN), an ecosystem for safe, efficient self-driving trucks to hit the road.

Throughout the 60-minute conversation, attendees interacted with Chuck, Bill and Grayson to ask questions that provide insight into the vision for the recently announced AFN and how the entire trucking industry is collaborating to create a new future through the adoption and integration of new technologies, like autonomous driving.

SAE Live BriefRecap of the TuSimple and Penske conversation SAE International hosted via Zoom on July 23, 2020

BILL COMBS

CHUCK PRICE

SAE Live Brief | July 20203

Autonomous Freight Network: Connecting the Nation As two of the founding members of the AFN, along with partners UPS, U.S. Xpress and McLane, TuSimple and Penske discussed how the network’s model will enable TuSimple’s SAE J3016™ Level 4 autonomous driving technology to scale nationally.

Chuck Price of TuSimple explained: “The Autonomous Freight Network is an ecosystem that includes autonomous trucks, digitally mapped routes that will be expanded nationwide, strategically placed terminals nationwide, and a monitoring system called TuSimple Connect. Because these automated trucks will be roaming far and wide on highways, we have to accommodate for things like breakdowns. With a partner like Penske, we can rely on their service and maintenance at a nationwide scale as well as their nationwide roadside assistance program.”

Penske Transportation Solutions, a company often associated with their “yellow trucks with the blue stripes,” may seem like an unexpected partner in the AFN; but as the largest commercial truck operator in the world, with more than 325,000 vehicles, thousands of customers, 800 maintenance locations and deep logistics operations, the company is on the cutting edge of connecting vehicle technology and experimentation with practical integration.

“ We are here for our customers and want to be at the front of the technology innovation curve. ”Bill Combs, Vice President of Connected Vehicle Strategy

& Experimentation, Penske Transportation Solutions

SAE Live Brief | July 20204

“We are here for our customers and want to be at the front of the technology innovation curve, so when autonomy makes commercial sense, those fleets will be our customers,” said Bill Combs of Penske. “As a company, we are focused on the trucks themselves, whether that’s autonomous or traditional, and the maintenance piece is a huge part of our business. The evolution of where TuSimple takes this technology will help us learn with them from a maintenance perspective, and how we can keep things dialed-in on the connectivity side.”

As the conversation evolved to explore the today and tomorrow of autonomous trucking, the audience of more than 150 individuals connected live with Chuck and Bill to tackle some of the most important issues facing the industry as it prepares to scale to a national level.

Bringing Autonomous Trucks to the Wide, Open RoadWith TuSimple planning to have its first commercial viability demonstrations without drivers and with real freight on real runs in 2021, connectivity to a reliable 5G network will be paramount for successful integration. A likely 5G telematic solution will enable vehicles to be connected with an oversight capability where automated and human monitored information is processed for entire autonomous fleet, especially in desolate or underpopulated areas.

And it is in that long, open road environment where autonomous trucking will thrive.

Said Mr. Combs: “ROI is the driver to this and companies buy trucks to move things. It’s getting harder to operate around the clock than it was at one time. Those long runs—coast-to-coast and multiple states at a time—where a person can’t get it done is where this type of truck makes total sense. It won’t solve every problem for every fleet right away and might not ever, but for certain use cases where AV can start to solve soon, that lives in the trucking space.”

Mr. Price recognized that although the chaotic and random nature of an urban environment make it less than ideal for trucks, TuSimple’s trucks are better suited for the open road environment, since the vehicles are “safer and have plenty of time to position strategically on highways to move in context of other objects.”

TuSimple hopes to be shipping nationwide by 2024

SAE Live Brief | July 20205

Will Governments and Consumers Keep Pace with Technology?As autonomous technology advances for long haul trucking, will government keep pace? And will consumers accept these changes? There is confidence since many states now allow for full driverless operations or testing with proof of certification, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is currently developing set of regulatory overlay rules that will normalize the process across all 50 states. We may soon even see dedicated autonomous trucking lanes. “Logistically it would be great. Dedicated trucking lanes, bike lanes, car lanes, all would provide value for transportation,” said Mr. Combs.

While regulations are essential, how the general public feels about driving their car next to an 80,000 lb. vehicle with nobody in the driver’s seat, may end up being even more critical. Which is why public education on safety and time-to-market is key.

As Mr. Price stated, an SAE Level 4 truck “doesn’t eat, doesn’t drink, doesn’t text. That alone removes a large category of accidents. It observes 360 degrees around the vehicle with a half-mile forward range that allows it to quickly identify potential threats before they become critical.”

PARTICIPANT POLL

What do you think is the most important challenge facing fleets today that autonomous trucks have the potential to mitigate?

Improving highway safety 44%

Easing tra�c congestion 6%

Improving fueleconomy 8%

Solving theshortage of truck drivers 42%

The conversation continues when Chuck Price speaks at the SAE COMVECTM Digital Summit on September 15-17. Register and participate.

SAE Live Brief | July 20206

A Change on the HorizonThe world of commercial trucking is on the precipice of monumental change not seen since the inception of the highway system in the 1950s. Even though the demands on a commercial truck driver are changing, and a more Spartan approach to cab design may occur as a result, for the foreseeable future, truck cabs are staying.

“We anticipate that there will be a human driver even in SAE Level 4, so a cab will be necessary,” said Mr. Price. To which Mr. Combs added, “Regulations will evolve at different rates, so for a long time, the truck will need to have a steering wheel and controls and some levels of comfort. But maybe with autonomy, long-haul cabs can be reconfigured to include an office set up or more of the sleeper situation.”

These anticipated evolutions in vehicle design are why TuSimple chose to partner with Navistar to build trucks fully equipped with their autonomous technology. “Companies don’t want hybrid vehicles with retrofitted technologies,” said Mr. Price. “Current vehicles have to be modified to accommodate the electrical and sensor needs for autonomous” which makes servicing a challenge for hybrid vehicles.

At the end of the day, the conversation proved that it takes the entire industry to make this change successful. There is value in the capabilities, but technology alone won’t solve everything. Everything relies on how the technology is adopted, used and strategically supported.

PARTICIPANT POLL

When do you think a significant volume of the nation’s freight will be moved autonomously?

5-10 years 44%

More than10 years 8%

Less than 5 years 12%

SAE Live Brief | July 20207

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An artist from the Ink Factory documented the conversation live using images and text to represent key themes discussed.