Autonomous Waymo truck

Camion autonome Waymo. © X/Jalopnik.

Waymo, the Alphabet/Google subsidiary dedicated to autonomous transportation, confirmed last month that it was working on a driverless truck. The rumour was confirmed today when Jalopnik posted photos leaked by an anonymous source. The shots show a blue semi, a Peterbilt 579, mounted with hardware similar to the Chrysler Pacificas being tested in Arizona, i.e. a lidar dome and ultrasonic sensors. The rig also sports a green Waymo logo. Nothing more is known for the moment, not even where the photos were taken. The trailer evidently belongs to Mckinney Trailer Rentals, a company present in California, Arizona and Texas. This kind of vehicle will probably pique the interest of the long-haul trucking industry, but the regulatory hurdles will probably be more numerous and complex than the technological ones.

⇨ Jalopnik, “Here’s the first look at Google’s self-driving semi trucks.”