howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Could be totally authentic, programmed to block entrances to roundabouts, sound their horns all night when parked near Aycliffe and will come complete with robotic arms that deposit human waste by the side of roads.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-41038220Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,883
Fine in theory I suppose but daft in practice even the AA has it doubts and surely they would need a police escort much like an over size load has to have.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Chris- Forum Admin
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Oct 2009
- Posts: 357
Why would they need a police escort? Each lorry has a driver and they can separate when needed.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
Very confusing as this bit says there will be only one human driver.
In the platoons, the lead vehicle will be controlled by a human driver and will communicate with the rest of the convoy wirelessly.
The following vehicles will be instructed to accelerate and brake by the lead vehicle, allowing the lorries to drive closer together than they could with human drivers.
Then we have all the lorries having drivers.
The following vehicles could also react more quickly to the lead lorry braking than human drivers can.
However, human drivers will still steer all the lorries in the convoy.
Button
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 22 Jul 2016
- Posts: 3,061
If they drive too close together the clandestines won't be able to get out!
(Not my real name.)
Chris- Forum Admin
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Oct 2009
- Posts: 357
It doesn't say there's only one human driver. From my understanding there's one 'main' driver in the first vehicle (in full control) and each following lorry has a driver for steering, but their speed is automatically copied from the front vehicle - although they can still take complete control when needed.
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,883
Chris wrote:Why would they need a police escort? Each lorry has a driver and they can separate when needed.
Possibly to stop a small car or van trying to nip between two of the lorries, to stop them inadvertently blocking slip roads or junctions.
Surely it would be easier and cheaper to simply have a lorry plus trailer but what do I know.

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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Chris- Forum Admin
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 17 Oct 2009
- Posts: 357
Jan Higgins wrote:Possibly to stop a small car or van trying to nip between two of the lorries, to stop them inadvertently blocking slip roads or junctions.
They address both those points in the article..
Jan Higgins likes this
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
pause for thought.
Andy B
- Location: dover
- Registered: 10 Nov 2012
- Posts: 1,818
Cannot be any worse than now.Whilst there are some good foreign truck drivers out there,many i,ve seen couldnt give a sh** about anyone or anything and give the whole industry a bad name.The driving standards are terrible and i often wonder how many have even obtained an HGV licence. Some that park up overnight drink so much that they would certainly be over the legal limit next day.Driverless trucks may not be so bad after all.