U.S. Postal Service begin mail delivery by self-driving trucks

On May 21, 2019 the U.S. Postal Service announced the beginning of use of pilotless trucks for delivery of sendings and letters.

The self-driving vehicles under the name Peterbilt developed by TuSimple company began to ply between the cities of Phoenix and Dallas.

According to the Bloomberg news agency, postal service spends more than $4 billion a year for services of automobile transportations of third-party contractors. These costs grow because of the shortage of drivers in the USA. Pilotless trucks can save hundreds of millions as they do not need drivers driving, and such machines are capable to go round the clock.

According to forecasts of the American association of cargo automobile carriers   (American Trucking Associations),  by 2024 will not be enough for the country to 174.5 thousand drivers because of difficulties with involvement of young people to this work and aging of the acting long-distance truck drivers.

The TuSimple trucks will be tested by the American Postal service for two weeks. Five runs about 3380 km long and lasting 45 hours everyone will be during this time made. If no problems are revealed, self-propelled trucks will begin to go by a permanent basis, and their quantity will increase.

The American mail began to deliver sendings by pilotless trucks

Joint work with TuSimple became our first initiative in the field of pilotless distant transportations — the press secretary of USPS Kim Froome says.  — We conduct researches and testing within our efforts on operation of cars of the future which will include new technologies.

The director of the products TuSimple Chuck Price notes that it is simpler to create pilotless trucks, than passenger cars as the first go generally on highways where there are no pedestrians and cyclists.^[1]

Robotics

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