This is scary, just passed along semi and

[Baitball Blogger]

The driver has a small video screen with some show running on the screen. We’re in Atlanta heavy traffic. Is this a thing?

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Seen it.

To elaborate: the guy was driving a dump truck or one those trucks that transport roll off dumpsters. He wss headed northbound on I-395 near the Pentagon at about 8:00 a.m. in rush hour commuter traffic.

I was on a commuter bus in a nearby express lane watching. The screen was mounted on his dashboard.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Suffering succotash.

I just saw a second one. Word to the wise, they’re easy to spot after six pm in heavy traffic.

[rsdsharp]

3. Years ago I was heading to a hearing at about 4:30 AM.

It was February, and I80 was clear. I was running 80-85mph when I saw a car far behind me in my rear view mirror. It kept getting closer, and as it passed me at more than 100mph I looked over to see that the car was being driven by an attorney I knew, who lived 100 miles west of where I did.

How did I recognize him? The cabin lights were on, he had a small TV propped up on the dash, and he was reading a newspaper! I slowed waaaaay down.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. Yikes!

[FakeNoose]

5. In a few years, the long-haul semis will be driverless, or robot-driven

Maybe there will be a human sitting in the "driver's seat," but it will be robots doing the steering and braking.
What you saw might be an early test driver? I don't know. We should probably get used to this idea.

The long-haul drivers will be the first to be replaced by automation. Local city delivery trucks will require a lot more programming and testing before they're ready to implement.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

8. Probably not.

The technology is no where near ready. I believe that driverless cars require a lot of technological support that doesn't exactly exist right now. One friend of mine likes to point out that the apparent accident rate for the driverless cabs in San Francisco have very low accident rates, although apparently they also do things like not stop for school busses, and they are only operating in a limited area.

[Niagara]

12. It's already happening, FakeNoose

I brought the receipts just in case anyone wants to contest you on that.


https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/driverless-semi-trucks-are-on-the-road-in-north-texas/


https://www.reddit.com/r/Futurology/comments/1kcrced/the_first_driverless_semis_have_started_running/

[2naSalit]

14. Last summer...

I saw two driverless semis out on a 2 lane hwy, I was not pleased about it. At least they were going the other way!

[peggysue2]

6. My youngest son just bought a used Volvo with only 14,000 miles on it

It has a good size display screen, far larger than I'm accustomed to in my nearly 12-year old Lincoln MKX. In any case, he said, "I could watch a movie on this." Reading my face, he added, "Not that I would, of course."

My reaction was pretty much the same. He lives outside Philly, travels the Blue Route every morning and evening (ridiculous traffic).

Could watch a movie??

[Deminpenn]

21. You think these driverless cars

and trucks are ready for the roving PennDOT crews doing their thing on the Phila area interstates?

[peggysue2]

23. LOL. No way at least not yet.

Particularly those cattle chutes you have to navigate while they're working.

We'd all wind up in the ditch.

[Deminpenn]

24. The roving crews don't even give a warning that there's a lane ahead closed

KYW traffic would report they were out and about, but listeners had no idea where the crews where. Several times, I was interstate speed cruising down I95 and encountered them. The first inkling was a line of traffic slowing down to funnel down to two lanes. Those roving crews are so dangerous, I'm surprised there's not a daily accident involving them.

Agree about the cattle shutes and don't forget the lane shifts.

[peggysue2]

25. I95 is always a dice throw; you never know what you're going to get

On a good day, you can sail from where I'm at in DE to my younger son's house in Secane in about 25 minutes. Other days? Construction, accidents, whatever; it's bumper-to-bumper with annoying drivers whizzing along the shoulder to get a couple cars ahead. Which, of course, slows it down all the more.

Is what it is.

Still happy we're back in the Mid-Atlantic region. Even the traffic feels like home.

[Deminpenn]

29. I95 is busy no matter when

I'm back home in western Pa now but when I lived in Phila, it was a rare day KYW didn't report a "TTA" on some area road in the morning.

[Straw Man]

7. When I lived in Japan in the '90s ...

... there were in-car TVs. IIRC, the screen went dark when the car was put in gear.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

10. I guess the Japanese are much more sensible

than we are.

[Ferryboat]

9. Yes it is

I worked in transportation, roll on roll off feryboats.
Lots of old school drivers were very critical of newer drivers.
One told me a story of waking up on a longhaul to discover the relief driver watching a movie.
If you went to utube pretty sure your going to find vids of longhaul truckers producing content.

[Timewas]

11. Maybe

They have GPS's with 10 inch screens now and you bet it would beeasy to run a movie on one...

[tblue37]

13. I have seen drivers reading books and newspapers in their cars, and this was in the 1980s and 1990s.

[Emile]

15. You would be surprised at what truck drivers see

looking down into passing cars.

State cops playing with their laptops while speeding, couples having sex, etc. etc.

[BluesRunTheGame]

16. Are you sure it wasn't a gps with a large screen?

[Baitball Blogger]

17. No, it was a show.

Looked like a detective show and the scene was in an office.

[BluesRunTheGame]

18. Okay, I've seen that too.

Most of the large and medium sized trucking companies have in-cab driver facing cameras to watch for that sort of thing.

[KentuckyWoman]

19. Dvd players

Had an acquaintance long haul for USPS who figured out a mounting system for a DVD. He said the movies actually put a stop to him mentally shutting down or worse dozing off. This was when DVD first came out.

He's in his 60s now and runs the same round trip short haul 4 days a week. He's home every night. I asked him last fall about the side screen and said the with the new sensors in the truck, no need. Plus he's more experienced in knowing his limits.

[rubbersole]

20. Georgia porn.

It's all the rage. Takes place in a small town gym.

[LudwigPastorius]

22. I've seen worse, but it wasn't a trucker.

I once saw a guy flying down the freeway while eating a burrito(?), talking on his phone, and watching a basketball game on a screen on his flip down sun visor.

This was years before driver-assist systems, so I can only assume he was steering with his knees.

[underpants]

26. We watched THE GAME on my phone one year driving back from Georgia

Ohio State vs that team up North (Michigan)
Buckeye fan here. I hadn’t missed THE GAME for 30+ years. My wife said “let me have your phone” downloaded ESPN app and we had it in the dash. My daughter watched from the backseat. Double overtime win by THE Ohio State University.

I could flash glimpses here and there. Highway driving. Set the cruise and just steer the ship.

[Onthefly]

27. It is common.

I see truckers watching movies and sporting events on screens that are separate from navigation and dispatching communications while in Heavy I-95 traffic.

[Baitball Blogger]

28. It's mind-blowing.

If they're involved in an accident, that's some pretty unshakeable evidence of culpability, no matter what the other facts show.