Wednesday, August 30, 2017

What My First Job Out of College Taught Me About Driving Trucks

Article thanks to Senior Editor Jack Roberts and truckinginfo.com. Links provided:

July, 2017  Believe it or not, once upon a time I had a job driving trucks.
This was back in the early 1990s, right after I got out of college. I went to work for a brand-new marketing firm that targeted trade shows nationally. The entry-level job was an “Operations Manager.” It was a fancy title. But basically you did everything around the place except for janitorial work – including driving trucks to trade shows all over the country.
I didn’t have a CDL then – mainly because the company was too cheap to pay for it – and it didn’t really need Class 8 hauling capacity, either. Instead, it rented Class 7 straight trucks from the local Ryder dealer, and we took those out on the open highway to wherever we needed to go: Vegas, Orlando, Miami, Chicago, Anaheim… And a funky little truck show in Louisville, Kentucky, that we bitched about incessantly. At the time, I had no idea what a fixture that truck show would become in my life a few years down the road.
Looking back on it, it was a pretty miserable experience. I lasted a bit more than a year-and-a-half – and it surprises me today that I made it that long. But I’m stubborn like that.
The company told us all the time that because we were a startup, we needed to operate smart and cheap. But the reality was we were running just a shade inside of the law. Looking back on it, we were lucky no one got hurt. Or worse.
To be fair to Ryder, the cabover trucks we were in weren’t even remotely spec’d for long-haul driving. No cruise control. Bench seats (the passenger seat could not be adjusted). AM radios. And manual transmissions – although they were automotive-grade, so at least we didn’t have to deal with double-clutching and high/low ranges. And the trucks were governed to about 65 mph. 
All that said, driving was my favorite part of the job. I didn’t mind being alone. And I definitely liked being way beyond the reach of any bosses dreaming up stuff for me to do. Plus, it was a pretty cool way to see the country first-hand. Much different than looking down at it from an airplane seat the way I do today. I never really considered truck driving as a career. But I don’t think I would’ve minded it a lot if that’s what I’d wound up doing. It wasn’t the worst job I ever had. It could’ve easily been made a lot better if I’d been given better equipment. And I can think of way worse ways to make a living.
At the time, I never would have thought I’d one day wind up being a journalist covering the North American trucking industry. And it’s funny how often I think back on that brief time behind the wheel when I’m talking to drivers, or fleet and OEM executives today.
For example, you don’t have to sell me too hard on the value of ergonomics, driver comfort features or safety systems. I understand the strain drivers feel being away from loved ones for long periods and missing important holidays and events. I have some real-world insight into the prejudices the driving public holds against trucks and truck drivers. And I totally understand when drivers say they’d like fewer rules and regulations dictating how they do their jobs. And I really get it when they say they don’t like Big Brother sitting in the cab with them looking over their shoulder.
A lot has changed since my brief stint on the nation’s highways. But a lot of the core issues and pain points drivers face today have not.
But there’s no doubt the equipment today has gotten light-years better – and safer – than it was 20 years ago. I can’t match their miles or their experience, but I can’t help but smile when I hear old school drivers today tell newbies they don’t know how good they have it. Because they don’t.
http://www.truckinginfo.com/blog/truck-tech/story/2017/07/lessons-learned-long-ago

Saturday, August 26, 2017

What Makes Green Bay Special

Photo: espn.com
Article thanks to Ty Montgomery and theplayerstribune.com. Links provided:

Aug. 14, 2017  Aaron Rodgers can make a football sing.

Seriously … I’ve heard it.
The first time it happened was during minicamp my rookie year. I was basically fresh out of college and Aaron was already Aaron: Super Bowl champion, MVP — all that stuff. I ran a slant, and when I got out into my route and planted my foot, that’s when I heard it. It was this … whoosh. A whistle, like one of those little Nerf Vortex balls.
I put my hands up as quickly as I could, and as soon as I did, the ball was right on me — right on time, right on target, right in stride. His accuracy definitely matches his power. It was unlike any ball I had ever caught.
I’ve seen Aaron do this to other guys, too. He always makes sure he zips one at you in the first couple of passes, and he’ll make sure to do it when he’s throwing a short pass so he can really put something extra on it. I think it’s just his way of welcoming you and letting you know what he expects out of you — like he’s gonna bring it, and you need to be ready at all times. It’s one of those little things he does to set the tone.
And every now and then, if he zips one at you and you don’t catch it, he’ll stand in the backfield and flex at you, like you can’t handle the heat. So I think he does it to have a little fun, too.
Being on the other end of one of those passes, it’s definitely an experience. And although I’ve transitioned to running back full time now….
Actually, transition isn’t really the right word. When I think of a transition, I think of moving from one thing to another — in my case, that would mean putting wide receiver behind me. But I haven’t done that. I don’t need to be put into some running back box, confined to the space between the tackles. I can still play wide receiver from the running back position, and I can still benefit from a passer like Aaron.
So I look at it more as an evolution … a true utilization of my skill set.
If you would have told me when I got drafted in the third round in 2015 that I’d be the No. 1 running back on the Packers’ depth chart two years later, I would have said you were crazy.
Then I would have said, “But hey, I’ll take it.”
So what if I’m not playing the position I was drafted to play? I’m just trying to contribute to this team and add value in any way possible. I knew that being the No. 1 wasn’t very likely when I initially made the move to running back. It was actually kind of a doomsday scenario. I joined the running backs, and then Eddie Lacy got hurt. Then Don Jackson. Then James Starks. And….
Doomsday.
Get in there, 88.
It was a far cry from where I had been back in training camp last year. Before the season even started — when I wasn’t sure if I was even going to make the team.
I’m serious. I can actually remember coming home from practice early in camp to find my wife unpacking some boxes, and I sarcastically said, “Don’t unpack too much just yet, because I’m not sure how long we’re gonna be here.”
I was coming off ankle surgery. I had missed the entire off-season. I hadn’t practiced the whole first week of camp. Plus, we had a lot of talented receivers. It was competitive. I mean, I still went out on the field every day with confidence and left everything I had out there. But at the end of the day, I felt like I was too far behind. I just really didn’t know what was going to happen.
I didn’t see a lot of action during the preseason, or in the first few games of the regular season. As the weeks went on, I grew more and more uncertain about my future in Green Bay.
I could feel some of the guys looking on kind of laughing, like, What’s Ty doing? Is he allowed to be back there?
Then one day, I walked past Mike McCarthy in the hallway. He stopped me, said hello … and then he mentioned that he had an idea.
The coaches had been talking, and they thought they could use me in a lot of different ways out of the backfield. So they were thinking about trying me out at running back, if I was up for it.
I was like, “Hey, if you’re even thinking about it, let’s just do it. Let’s dive right in and see how it goes.”
I kept my best “be professional” face as we shook hands and went our separate ways. But as I walked down the hall, I was on a cloud. I was light on my feet, light in my spirit. I knew it was going to be a big opportunity for me.
And then, at practice the next day, we were doing a half-line drill, and coach called me over to line up in the backfield.
I could feel some of the guys looking on kind of laughing, like, What’s Ty doing? Is he allowed to be back there? Like if I was back there, it must be a trick play or something.
Then, when the ball was snapped, I took the handoff and ran an outside zone play. I hit the hole hard, too. The offense regrouped and I lined up in the backfield again. And again, I took the handoff, this time on an inside zone play.
You should have seen my teammates’ faces. They were all looking at each other like, Wait … what? Is this for real?
After five or six runs, I think the guys started to realize, Whoa, this is for real … and Ty’s not that bad.
A lot of people don’t know this, but I grew up carrying the football. I admired guys like Eddie George, Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton. Being an NFL running back had always been my dream. It wasn’t until high school that I made the switch to wide receiver. I even played some running back when I was at Stanford, and I loved it.
So when I started taking handoffs from Aaron, my instincts were still there. Making the cuts … seeing and hitting the holes … doing it full speed … falling forward after contact … it all came back naturally.
The real difficulty came in learning the playbook, specifically pass protection. It was like learning a foreign language. It was completely new to me.
I think I put a lot of pressure on myself because as a running back, when you stay in to block, you’re the last line of defense before a pass rusher gets to the quarterback. So deep down, I just didn’t want to be the guy who missed an assignment and got Aaron killed back there.
That’s where the other running backs — and Aaron — came in.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about this game, it’s that you can’t do anything alone. Football is the ultimate team sport. Communication is key, and we have to help one another to make sure we’re all on the same page. And our team kind of embodies that.
When I first walked into the running backs room, I wondered how I would be received. I mean, there are only so many snaps in a football game, and with me walking in as another guy vying for playing time, I would have understood if guys had been defensive and focused on themselves, just out of self-interest.
But not our guys.
They welcomed me.
When we were watching film or putting in the weekly game plan, I never felt dumb if I didn’t know what to do on a particular play or if I had a question. I was never afraid to speak up because everybody in the room had let me know from Day One that the running backs room isn’t full of selfish individuals. They didn’t necessarily say it, but I definitely felt it. They were helpful and gave me constructive advice.
I honestly don’t think I could have made the switch as well as I did if it hadn’t been for those guys — Eddie Lacy, James Starks, Don Jackson, Aaron Ripkowski, Coach Sirmans — helping me throughout the season.
"So what if I’m not playing the position I was drafted to play? I’m just trying to contribute to this team and add value in any way possible."
TY MONTGOMERY
Aaron was the same way. And that was probably the best part of being in the backfield: I was right there with him in the middle of everything, not split out on an island at receiver. So if I had a question, or if I didn’t know what to do on a particular play, I would just lean over and tap Aaron, he’d tell me what to do and then I’d try to execute it to the best of my ability. Simple as that.
But I get so much more than just guidance from Aaron in the backfield.  
I also get confidence.
Aaron is so cerebral, and he sees the game in a way that I think only he can see it. He’s a perfectionist, and he demands that others around him strive for perfection as well.
That’s why, every now and then, he’ll zip one of those rockets at you.
Just to keep you on your toes.
And when you’re the one setting the tone, like Aaron, you have to have an air of confidence about you. That’s just part of being a leader. You can’t be hesitant. You can’t second-guess yourself. And I sort of took of that attitude when I joined Aaron in the backfield. I don’t know … it’s tough to explain. His confidence is just contagious.
That’s why when he came out and said that whole “run the table” thing last year, I was kind of glad. A lot of guys were. That was just him letting all of us know — along with the rest of the world — that he had confidence in us. A lot of people tried to put pressure on us to win out after Aaron said that. But that didn’t bother us because we put more pressure on ourselves than anybody outside of our locker room ever could.
That’s just another example of what makes this place so special. It’s the kind of place where the running backs will welcome you into their group, even if it means you might steal some carries. The kind of place where the coaches will try anything and everything to maximize the talent on the roster, even move a receiver to running back. The kind of place where the quarterback tells the world we’re gonna win out, and everybody on the team believes him.
It’s all just … Green Bay.
It’s part of what makes being a Green Bay Packer so special.
This year, I feel like a rookie all over again — which is a little weird because I’m also the veteran in the running backs room. It’s my first off-season preparing to play running back full time. I’ve put on a few pounds — good pounds … running back pounds. And I’m ready to put them to use.
It’s kind of crazy … you just never know what God has in store for you. At this time last year, I was telling my wife not to unpack too many boxes. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to have a job come Week 1. Now, I’m playing a key role in the offense.
I guess that’s why I was so excited about the idea of playing running back. Having Coach McCarthy tell me that the coaches thought I could be a valuable contributor out of the backfield meant just that — that they thought I was valuable. That they wanted me here. That I was a part of their plan.
That really meant the world to me because my wife and I love it here in Green Bay. It’s funny: I was born in Mississippi, grew up in Dallas and went to college in California. And when I go back to those places and tell people how much I love living in Green Bay, they think I’m kidding, or that I’m just being nice. Like it’s such a small town and it’s so cold and so … Green Bay … that I couldn’t possibly love it as much as I say I do.
But I honestly do.
Living in Green Bay is a simple life. It’s not crowded. There’s no traffic. It’s quiet. There’s good golf, good food, good beer — great beer.
But what it really comes down to is the people.
My wife and I have made so many great friends outside the team since we’ve been here. We love the small-town feel. It really is a community in every sense, and the Packers are as big a part of the community as anything. I think that in a world of big-market franchises and billion-dollar television contracts, what we have here is rare.
It’s the kind of thing that could only happen in a place like Green Bay.
And after living here, I don’t know if I could go back to living in a big city. I might be a small-town guy for life.
It truly is the opportunity of a lifetime for me to play for a winning organization like the Packers — with teammates like the ones I have now, great ownership, and a fantastic fanbase in a great city. And for me to be able to play a key role on a team that has its sights set on winning a Super Bowl is an even greater blessing. It’s everything I could have ever asked for.
This season — my first full year as a running back — is only the beginning. I love it here in Green Bay, and I hope God’s plan is for me to be a Green Bay Packer for life.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/ty-montgomery-packers-running-back/

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

What you need to know about the ELD rule

Photo: joc.com

Article thanks to Jim Sweeney and the RoadPro Family of Brands. Links provided:

Few things have riled up the trucking community more than the pending Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rule. Trucking organizations took opposing sides of the issue and one attempt to stop it went as far as the U.S. Supreme Court.
Though legislation has been introduced in Congress to delay implementation for two years, the smart money says the December 2017 deadline will remain. So what does that mean for drivers who don’t yet use ELDs?  Here’s what you need to know:
The rule: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is requiring that paper logbooks recording Hours of Service (HOS) be replaced by Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) for most commercial carriers.  
The compliance deadline: Dec. 18, 2017. A recently introduced bill in Congress would delay implementation two years, but it faces long odds.
Who’s covered: All motor carriers and drivers currently required to maintain records of duty status (RODS). Applies to commercial buses as well as trucks. Trucks based in Canada and Mexico that operate in the U.S. are included.
Who’s exempt: Short-haul drivers who are not required to keep RODS. Drivers who use paper RODS for not more than 8 days out of every 30-day period. Drivers who conduct drive-away-tow-away operations to deliver trucks. Drivers of vehicles manufactured before 2000.
What ELDs do:  They synchronize with truck engines to record when the truck is in operation and track HOS. However, most are capable of recording far more types of data, including driving behavior such as speeding, idling and hard braking. Most pass the data to a safety or fleet manager.
The FMCSA website contains more information, including training. Also, Overdrive has a collection of in-depth stories about ELDs.      
Myths about ELDs
There are a lot of untruths and misconceptions out there about ELDs. Here are some of the most common:
  1. ELDs shut down trucks if HOS limits are violated. Actually, the ELD mandate does not require remote shutdown capability. Though some ELDs have this capacity, their primary function is to alert the driver of possible HOS violations in time to allow the driver to find a safe place to park.
  2. ELDS are distracting and hard to use. Once ELDs are installed, they work virtually automatically and require less paperwork than the paper logs they replace. All the driver has to do is select duty status and drive.
  3. ELDs are expensive. Prices vary widely, depending on manufacturer, platform, capabilities and more. The FMCSA estimates the average annual cost at $495 per truck with a range of $165 to $832 per truck. Many ELDs also include other useful capabilities, such as GPS.
  4. ELDs are an invasion of privacy. Most fleet trucks already are equipped with devices that transmit their location and other information to HQ. ELDs do not transmit data to law enforcement agencies.
  5. ELDs mean less money for drivers. The ELD mandate does not include new HOS requirements. It only does a better job of enforcing them. Drivers who routinely violated HOS rules to earn more could find themselves driving (and earning) less.



What drivers think about ELDs
With all the controvers over the ELD mandate, we thought we’d check with drivers who have been using them for years to see their experience. We asked RoadPro Pro Driver Council members what they thought about the devices. Here’s what they told us:
What has your ELD experience been like?
“My experience has been mostly good. When I first got on it, there was a bit of a learning curve. I had to rethink how I was looking for parking, fueling, etc. especially when it involved the end of my day. It wasn't anything that was difficult to overcome; it just requires a bit more trip planning and using your head. You have to think ahead, which we are supposed to be doing anyway.” – Owner-operator Thomas Miller, who has used an ELD for six years.

“There is adjustment period during the first month or so. At first, you feel under the gun to get the most out of every minute of time. After some time, you learn to settle down as it is no different than an accurate paper log book. There are some bonuses, though: easy to use, less chance of a form and manner mistake and IFTA reporting are all made easier.” -- Henry Albert, owner of Albert Transport in Statesville, N.C. He recently reinstalled an ELD after using one years before.

“I love it. Easy, saves time and no mistakes can be made. Takes away human error in written log books. I think it is the way of the future for trucking industry. It will alleviate missing logs and errors. You can't run over your hours unless you ignore the system, which drivers still do.” -- Joanne Fatta, a driver for Sunrise Transport in Pennsylvania, which installed ELDs a year ago.

“At first, I thought I would hate it. I have discovered I like it, in the sense it allows my dispatcher to stay current on my hours without having to call me, which equals better utilization, which equals more miles. Also, I make fewer mistakes, such as form and manner and not adding up numbers properly etc.” -- Tom Kyrk, a fleet driver out of Dallas who has used ELDs for years.

Should ELDs be required?
“I am not much on requirements being forced upon us. That being said, there have to be rules of engagement. It does create a level playing field for large or small carriers in regards to hours of service. In the end, the same people who flourished before ELDs should continue to do so after December 17. Some will figure it out quicker than others.” – Albert

“If you are logging legally on paper, e-logs will make little to no difference. For those who say they cause more accidents and other issues, my response is e-logs are not the problem, they are a symptom of the true problem, which is hours of service. In my opinion, the arguments against e-logs are red herrings versus the root causes or concerns on privacy and hours of service.” – Kyrk

“Yes, I believe they should be required. However, I hate the fact that our industry has arrived at the point that it is needed. The biggest amount of complaints I have seen have been from those that will no longer be able to cheat. I have seen ‘what if I'm an hour from home, now I can't make it,’ ‘what if I'm out of hours at a shipper, now I can't leave.’ They weren’t supposed to be doing that on paper logs, but on paper, it can be hidden. There is nothing that ELDs are going to require that isn't already supposed to be done now per the HOS regulations.” – Miller

“I have no problem with them being required, other than if I was an owner-operator I might not be able to afford it. On that note, I don't know. But I do think everyone should have to run legal. And an ELD keeps you legal.” -- Libby Clayton, company driver.

http://www.roadprobrands.com/

Saturday, August 19, 2017

Defiant Kangaroos Stand Firmly in Path of Soulless, Self-Driving Future

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/
Article thanks to Steph Willems and thetruthaboutcars.com. Links provided:

June, 2017  Who knew strange animals born with a sack stuck to their bellies would prove to be the largest hurdle in the advent of driverless vehicles? In areas where you’ll find marsupials, anyway.
While North American drivers have long grown used to smacking deer with their personal vehicles, it’s a different story in the land of Paul Hogan, Nicole Kidman, and the amiable fellow from Jurassic Park. A full 80 percent of vehicle-animal collisions on that extremely large island and/or continent involve a kangaroo. It now seems the manner in which the limber creatures get around has created a headache for a certain Scandinavian car company — one hoping to lead the industry in hands-off driving.
Volvo has already flung XC90s outfitted with autonomous driving technology to the four corners of the earth: its native Sweden, the U.S., and, starting in late 2015, Australia. The automaker has capitalized on the Australian Driverless Vehicle Initiative for the testing of its self-driving fleet, plying long, lonely outback roads with the aim of finessing its technology into something marketable.
While Volvo expected its available Large Animal Detection system to keep driverless vehicle occupants safe, Australia ain’t Sweden. And kangaroo certainly do not behave like moose or elk. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the manner in which the bouncy animals travel — in the air, mostly — completely confuses the collision avoidance system.
Large animals have a knack for causing bone-shattering, roof-crumpling crashes, so Volvo’s 90-Series vehicles employ a forward facing camera that matches animal shapes to a database of creatures. After measuring the distance between the vehicle using radar, the system automatically applies the brakes as needed. Unfortunately, kangaroos, besides being nature’s pogo stick, are the closest thing we have to a real shapeshifter. Also, they’re rarely ever seen standing motionless.
“We’ve noticed with the kangaroo being in mid-flight … when it’s in the air it actually looks like it’s further away, then it lands and it looks closer,” said David Pickett, Volvo Australia’s technical manager.
Volvo’s system use the ground as a reference point. When a kangaroo leaps into the air while crossing a road, the confused car might assume there’s no need to take evasive action.
“We identify what a human looks like by how a human walks, because it’s not only the one type of human — you’ve got short people, tall people, people wearing coats. The same applies to a roo. If you look at a roo sitting at the side of a road, standing at the side of a road, in motion, all these shapes are actually different.”
The kangaroo detection problem needs a solution before any automaker can sell an autonomous vehicle in that country. Still, Volvo isn’t swayed. Pickett believes the company can overcome the issue and that the eventual proliferation of driverless vehicles will go ahead as planned.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/06/defiant-kangaroos

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Tesla-Truck Crash: Cruise Control on Steroids

Photo: NTSB/Florida Highway Patrol
Article thanks to Senior Editor Jack Roberts and truckinginfo.com. Links provided:
June, 2017  Believe it or not, I’ve never seen the Harry Potter movies. But they must be pretty good, considering that Joshua Brown, the victim of last year’s famed “Tesla Crash” was allegedly watching one of the films right up to the point when his car T-boned a tractor trailer last year, killing him.
New details about that crash have emerged from the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation, including the well-publicized fact that Tesla’s autonomous system warned Brown seven different times that he needed to assume control of the car, and that he manually bumped his speed higher just two minutes before the crash occurred.
I’m not familiar with the Tesla autonomous driving system, although I have spent a limited amount of time behind the wheel of Freightliner’s Inspiration Truck while it was in self-driving mode. And I can attest that programming the truck to slow down and eventually pull off the road in the event road conditions aren’t absolutely perfect for autonomous vehicle control is one of the system’s core attributes. In fact, the Daimler Highway Pilot system is so safety-conscious, it will pull the truck off the highway if any number of critical information inputs aren’t being met. Anything from faded lane markings to a spotty GPS signal is enough to make Highway Pilot punt and hand control back over to one of us human beings or simply pull off the road if – I dunno – the wizard is about to zap a dragon with his magic wand, or something.
If you’re lucky as a writer, you might get to invent a bunch of new words (like that show-off, Shakespeare) or, more likely nowadays, get credit for coining a new phrase. So I’m going to note right here and now that “Cruise Control on Steroids” is mine. I’ve been saying for a couple of years now – and I’ve been told by several autonomous vehicle designers that it is a perfect description for the first generation of autonomous vehicle control systems that are just now starting to show up on roadways all over the globe.
For all the angst about the societal implications of autonomous vehicles (and autonomous trucks in particular), the fact is we are still a long way from the time when you’ll be able to watch Harry Potter VII: Curse Of The Unpredictable Bowels or argue with your significant other on FaceTime while your rig drives itself down the highway.
That said, based on my as-yet-limited experience behind the wheel of an autonomous truck, I believe drivers today will actually be pretty enthusiastic about these control systems once they’re commercially viable and being spec’d on trucks.
Full-on everywhere-you-look autonomous vehicle use isn’t likely to happen until we make considerable strides in upgrading our infrastructure, including major investments in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology and capability, as well as a common platform for vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V) systems – and the deployment of those technologies in sufficient numbers to make a significant impact on how vehicles behave in various driving scenarios.
Case in point: One of the more memorable aspects of my Inspiration Truck test-drive was watching with hands off the wheel, while the truck worked its way through a bumper-to-bumper traffic snarl heading into Las Vegas. That’s a stressful situation that every driver on this planet hates. So why not take a break? Rub your eyes. Stretch your back. Relax for a few minutes while the truck does the monotonous work of inching its way through the traffic jam?
I can also recall mind-numbingly straight and dull stretches of highway all over this country – from Texas to Florida to New Mexico – where there’s just not a hell of a lot for a driver to do other than hold the truck between the lines for hours on end. Or a few stretches of I-40 out west, where the afternoon sun parks itself right in your face and sits there, seemingly for hours, while you squint through your sunglasses and constantly move the sun visor around trying to get some relief. Again, in those instances, I have to believe there are a good number of drivers who would welcome the opportunity to let the truck take the wheel for a bit and go from “pilot” mode to “lookout.”
Just like there are always people scared of new technology, there are also people who place way too much trust in new technology. Which was clearly the case with Joshua Brown and his Tesla sedan. Technology – most of the time – is used to solve problems. But new technology has its limits. And autonomous vehicle technology is no different. Use it wisely, use it correctly, and it will be a powerful tool to help drivers out. Particularly truck drivers.