Jack Roberts in control of Freightliner’s Inspiration Autonomous Truck.Overdrive Equipment Editor Jack Roberts got his first experience piloting an autonomous truck Tuesday. It was a promise come true from Freightliner, which introduced its Inspiration autonomous truck in May.
The company told CDL-holding journalists they would have an opportunity to get a Nevada Autonomous Truck Endorsement in the fall, so they returned to the Las Vegas area, where the truck debuted.
Roberts describes what it’s like as the truck starts and its Highway Pilot system is activated.
“It’s a decidedly strange feeling,” he writes. “Your hands hover over the wheel for a few seconds, waiting to grab it if something goes wrong. Except nothing does go wrong… There is no jerking or jarring of the steering wheel. The system is almost silky smooth.”
