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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: LogOn: Autonomous Trucking (TV, R)
HEADLINE: LogOn: Self-Driving Trucks May Beat Autonomous Cars in Race for Acceptance
TEASER: Investors, companies are betting on autonomous freight trucking, but safety and job losses are concerns
PUBLISHED AT: 05/24/2022 at 8:40AM
BYLINE: Michelle Quinn
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.
VIDEOGRAPHER: Michelle Quinn
PRODUCER: Michelle Quinn
SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Mia Bush
VIDEO SOURCE (S): Zoom, VOA, TuSimple, Kodiak Robotics
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO _X_
TRT: 2:00
VID APPROVED BY: Reifenrath
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[In the race to put fully autonomous vehicles on the road, commercial trucks that drive themselves may be pulling ahead of self-driving cars. Michelle Quinn reports))
((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy: TuSimple))
Driver Out.
That’s what it’s called when there's no one in the driver’s seat of a truck. Like this one, which recently barreled 128 kilometers from Tucson to Phoenix, Arizona.
Fully autonomous trucks will probably be on the road well before people routinely climb into self-driving cars, experts say.
[[For Radio: Cheng Lu is the CEO of TuSimple. He spoke to VOA over Zoom.]]
((Cheng Lu, TuSimple)) ((Courtesy: Zoom))
“Because it's point to point, it's repeater routes, high volume…
((Courtesy: TuSimple))
...This is the really boring drives along the interstates of the U.S.”
((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy: TuSimple))
Autonomous trucking is gaining momentum as the need to move goods around the country increases …..
((Courtesy: YouTube/Kodiak Robotics))
….and the number of truck drivers decreases, companies say...
((Courtesy: TuSimple))
...But not everyone is excited about seeing driver-out trucks in the lane next to them.
[[FOR RADIO: Cathy Chase is with the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. She spoke to VOA over Zoom.]]
((Cathy Chase, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety)) ((Courtesy: Zoom))
“We're the ones on the road with these vehicles, and the public right now is an unwitting participant in a very highly tech science experiment.”
((NARRATOR)) ((Courtesy: TuSimple))
There are worries, too, that self-driving trucks will wipe out some of the more than 3 million truck driving jobs in the U.S.
[[FOR RADIO: Steve Viscelli is a sociologist at the University of Pennsylvania who studies the trucking industry. He spoke to VOA over Zoom.]]
((Steve Viscelli, Trucking Expert)) ((Courtesy: Zoom))
“I'd say all drivers are concerned about the future of those
((Courtesy: TuSimple))
jobs…. They are not yet convinced of the potential for really upscaling the job.”
((NARRATOR))
Most of the external sensors in this truck’s autonomous driving system are built into the side mirrors, making it possible for the truck to blend in with others on the road.
((Don Burnette, Kodiak Robotics))
“Our system never gets drowsy, never gets tired, never loses attention span. It's always monitoring many times per second the world around it. And so we're better able to react to situations that arise on the road and handle them in a safe way.”
((NARRATOR))
((Courtesy: TuSimple))
While self-driving trucking firms may be itching to hit the road, the rules and guidelines governing them ….
((Courtesy: Kodiak Robotics))
will need to win approval first.
((Michelle Quinn, VOA NEWS))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMay 24, 2022 08:56 EDT
BylineMichelle Quinn
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
