Apparently you have to be very careful when making fun of truck drivers. Jeremy Clarkson once infamously said that when driving a truck one must ‘change… check mirror and murder a prostitute’, which was one of the straws that finally broke the camel’s back and led to Clarkson’s sacking. Thanks truck drivers, we’ll play nice.

Someone else who is playing nice is German automaker Daimler. They have just unveiled their Freightliner Inspiration Truck, the world’s first licensed autonomous truck. So how exactly does it work? We’ll hand over to Mashable:

Similar to the autopilot system in a passenger jet, Daimler’s Freightliner has “Highway Pilot,” which the truck driver engages. That’s how Daimler did it for Tuesday’s demonstration: A driver pulled the truck onto the road atop the Hoover Dam, and the truck’s Highway Pilot took over.

Daimler’s truck is festooned with sensors, including front radars that see the road over 800 feet in front of it, another radar to detect cars merging in front of the truck, and stereo cameras that analyze road markings to communicate with the steering mechanism. It knows the rules of the road and will brake and accelerate based on posted speed limits for semi-trucks.

Now these trucks do need a driver present, but the technology will help with alleviating the chronic sleep deprivation that many drivers suffer from. As it stands, the truck can only be used in Nevada, but plans are afoot to extend the license to other states.

This should give all you truck drivers plenty of time to do the things you really enjoy – sudoku puzzles, a spot of crocheting or, you know, that other thing Clarkson mentioned.

[source:mashable]