Leave the Driving to Us Robots

worldwide

Well-Known Member
We often say that the driving job at UPS can never be outsourced but that is no longer a valid statement. In may not happen in 5, 10, 15 or 20 years at UPS but you would be foolish to think that it will never, in some form, happen at UPS.

"Transportation companies that might benefit from reduced employee costs include UPS , FedEx and Roadrunner Transportation Systems."

Leave the Driving to Us Robots - Yahoo! Finance
 

wgf46

Well-Known Member
$4,000,000,000 Billion in Profits for the year. How much greedier does UPS need to be? What's wrong with paying a worker an excellent wage so that worker can go out and spend that hard earned money to create more jobs !!!
 

undies

Well-Known Member
The robots will drive the feeder trucks, but I don't see how they can deliver 200+ stops a day without a human.
 

104Feeder

Phoenix Feeder
The robots will drive the feeder trucks, but I don't see how they can deliver 200+ stops a day without a human.
Will the robot get out and perform a DOT required pre & post trip?
Will the robot be able to spot a good dolly and pre-trip it?
Will the robot sign the DVIR & CCR every day?
Will the robot crank up/down the landing gear & connect the air lines (replacing those leaky grommets?)
Will the robot find a shim for those troublesome light cords?
Will the robot be able to do the complicated LNG refueling process?
Will the robot have area knowledge not provided by GPS or mapping software?
Will the robot be able to do a dolly back, disconnect the dolly, and move it into the pile (red-tagging it where necessary)?
Will the robot be able to verify loads, paperwork, and hazmats, and chew out that p/t sup that can't seem to put the right paperwork on the trailer?

I think we are safe.
 

HEFFERNAN

Huge Member
The mass-produced automobile was perfected in 1914 by Henry Ford

99 years later, Robots have done most of the producing but driving a vehicle has stayed unchanged.
It would take a mass involvement of technology to have fleets of computer-driven vehicles.
The problem would be all vehicles would have to be on the same grid, one car off the grid not following rules could cause chaos

I can see the USPS using some technology akin to newer garbage and recycling bin pickup
Maybe an arm comes out the side of a truck and opens the mailbox door and shoots in your mail.

UPS delivers envelope letters to 150 lb "widowmakers". I can't see a delivery system that would ever work with those parameters.


I do remember watching IRobot with Wil Smith and seeing a robot FEDEX driver making a delivery.
LOL So if it can be thought up, anything is possible
 
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