In This Episode
Dayton Rumbold, Bill Wettstein, and Doug Bradle discuss what autonomous vehicles mean for the trucking industry.
Quotes from the Episode
- “What You do matters. You are making a difference… this isn’t about replacing drivers.”
- “This really feels like more of a play to allow trucking to grow and not replace jobs.”
On Why Nussbaum Is Even Exploring This
- “We don’t want to be a Kodak or a Blockbuster. We want to steward what God has given us.”
- “As a company, we’re not going to stop technology. But we can stay aware of what’s happening.”
- “This is about education — not diving in headfirst.”
Reality Check on Autonomous Technology
- “Autonomous trucks have to be flawless to get on the highway. People won’t tolerate failure from a computer the way they tolerate failure from humans.”
- “Accumulating snow or ice? The truck is out of service. That’s why everything today is still in the sunny south.”
- “How do you picture a world with no drivers? Who fuels the truck? Who handles breakdowns? Who talks to the guard shack? Who unhooks and rehooks? The infrastructure isn’t even close.”
- “The truck hasn’t learned how to anticipate like a human. We knew that pickup was going to cut across our lane long before the system did.”
On the I‑70 Level‑2 Project
- “This is not a driverless project. It is level‑2 — the driver is still responsible for driving.”
- “These are basically the same trucks we were already buying. Nothing dramatically special about them.”
- “It’s an experiment to understand how the systems respond — not a step toward replacing our drivers.”
If you prefer the audio-only recording of this episode, use the player below.
What are the benefits for nussbaum transportation for entering the I 70 project?
Hi Wayne, here’s my take on answering that question…
The benefit for Nussbaum is it helps us stay informed and improve the safety systems already on our trucks without risking jobs. There’s a small amount of federal grant money that helps cover the cost of running the three trucks, but there’s no big financial gain for Nussbaum. The real value is the data and learning and not profit.
Hope that helps!