What does a driverless truck look like? Many driverless trucks resemble conventional rigs, but with added sensor systems such as cameras, radar, and lidar. These are often mounted on or around the cab, sometimes in a roof-mounted unit. While most current models resemble the trucks we’re familiar with, future designs may evolve as the need for driver space decreases.
The large-scale deployment of driverless trucks is still relatively new, and our Arlington truck accident lawyer continues to monitor how this technology may affect road safety.
Driverless Trucks That Look Like Conventional Rigs
Most driverless trucks look just like conventional ones. That’s because tech companies like Aurora Innovation and Kodiak Robotics handle the tech side, while the trucks themselves are manufactured by companies like Peterbilt and Volvo.
Sensor Pods are Often the Visible Difference
The presence of sensor roofs and side-mounted sensor pods housing LiDAR, radar, and camera sensors is part of what a driverless truck looks like, at least, for the time being. You may notice a crown or pods attached to the cab. The sensors feed data to the AI software that guides these trucks.
A Driverless Truck May Still Have a Safety Driver
In Texas, autonomous trucks still had safety drivers who could intervene in an emergency until early 2025. At that point, Texas began to allow freight-only trucks, with no human backup, on its roads. Autonomous truck companies feel there’s evidence that their trucks are safe enough, and are gradually increasing the number of freight-only trucks they deploy.
Texas Routes Commonly Used By Driverless Trucks
If you want to see what a driverless truck looks like, you stand a good chance of spotting them on major routes like the Dallas-Houston-San Antonio route or the SH 130.
The Dallas-Houston route is favorable because it is comparatively flat and has predictable weather, and SH 130 is being transformed into a “Smart Freight Corridor” with the addition of sensors and cameras to enhance safety.
What the Added Units on Driverless Trucks Contain
Whether they are roof-mounted or attached where side mirrors would ordinarily be, the current units that make driverless trucking possible may contain:
- LiDAR uses laser wave technology to map the environment.
- Radar uses radio waves to sense conditions like the speed and range of other objects.
- High-definition cameras identify colors and shapes, for example, traffic light colors and other vehicles’ brake lights.
- Microphones may detect sounds that a human driver should be aware of, such as emergency vehicle sirens.
- Antennas enable communication and GPS navigation.
If you’re wondering what the AI computing system that coordinates all this information looks like on a driverless truck, you’d be unable to spot it just by looking. It’s usually hidden in a ruggedized cabinet located inside the tractor.
Futuristic Autonomous Truck Design Concepts Based on Eliminating the Need for Human Drivers
For now, most autonomous trucks are more like retrofitted versions of conventional trucks, but that may soon change. Instead of just adding sensors to conventional designs, companies are testing concepts that eliminate the cab altogether.
Cab-less pod concepts are already being considered by companies like Volvo and Scania. Without the need to cater for drivers, they stand to save materials and costs while reducing energy-consuming weight and enhancing aerodynamic performance.
Eliminating the tractor altogether, the AI-guided, battery-operated trailer is another concept under test. In either example, you will easily tell the difference between driver-operated trucks and what a driverless truck looks like if these ideas begin to enjoy widespread adoption.
What to Do If You Spot a Driverless Truck in Texas
Whether you think driverless trucks are exciting or a potential threat, use common sense when you encounter one on the road. Do remember that they typically record operational data, so attempts to harass the truck to test its reactions may lead to you being reported to the police.
Maintain safe following distances, and don’t be fooled into thinking an autonomous truck has capabilities that allow for dangerous merging. Even if all safety measures are in place, autonomous trucks still have physical limitations. For example, heavy vehicles have longer stopping distances, regardless of who or what is driving them.
If you cause an accident through negligence or reckless driving, you may still be considered at fault, even though the truck doesn’t have a human driver. Although automation adds new possibilities to the list of who may be liable for a truck accident in Texas, you are still responsible for your own driving.
What to Do if You Notice a Driverless Truck Driving Dangerously
The companies behind driverless trucks are aiming for enhanced safety and model driving behavior. Reporting on the prep undertaken for full driverless trucks on Texas highways, they highlight safety features. Critics argue that the companies that stand to gain from the technology are making the real decisions, often without full transparency.
If you notice a driverless truck driving dangerously:
- Contact emergency services if there seems to be an immediate threat.
- Contact the company that is responsible for the truck.
- File a complaint with the Federal Motor Carrier Administration if you believe you have evidence of unsafe autonomous trucks.
If you were involved in an accident with a driverless truck, securing data and preserving evidence may be part of what a truck accident lawyer does. It is unlikely that the law will assume that driverless trucks are incapable of liability, no matter how safe they may become.
Potential for Strong Pushback When Attempting to Show a Driverless Truck Was at Fault
At the Texas Law Dog, we expect strong pushback in any case against a company operating driverless trucks. Billions of dollars have gone into their development, which provides strong motivation to demonstrate that driverless trucks are safe.
If we believe you have a case, we may represent you, devoting diligence and dedication to your case, and calling on our own network of expert witnesses when necessary. As technology advances, and the way driverless trucks look changes, we applaud innovation, but not if it comes at the expense of individuals in our community.
