A Conversation with Director of Communications Sean Rushton
Rally Point: Hi Sean, thanks for talking to us today about Locomation and your journey.
Sean: Glad to do it. As you know, autonomous trucks have been one of the transportation industry’s hottest topics over the past several years. Many companies have created plans for long-term cost savings and sustainability that hinge on this highly anticipated technology. The issue some are now facing is that Level 4-fully driverless autonomy is still much farther out from profitable commercial deployment than some anticipated.
So, while there are impressive-seeming pilot programs being run in some places, the major cost savings for most companies, with fully-driverless vehicles that can handle new places and unexpected road conditions, is still years away. Locomation is leading the way with our approach to human-guided autonomy, which allows us to get most of the advantages of full autonomy, while still keeping a human in the loop.
RP: That’s so great to hear, Sean. I know it’s been a long road.
Sean: Locomation has made a name for itself with our human-guided Autonomous Relay ConvoySM (ARC) technology, the first step to full autonomy. An ARC system consists of two autonomy-capable trucks with one driver in each truck. Each driver takes turns actively leading the convoy, fully engaged in the function of driving, while the driver in the follower truck rests in the sleeper berth off duty, as the vehicle drives in autonomous follower mode. Our system enables truck fleets to run these convoys virtually around the clock, seven days a week, with major increases for capacity and profitability. Locomation expects to be the first company to deploy autonomous trucking technology in profitable commercial operations across the U.S., coming in the near term.
Sean: The company was founded in 2018 by five robotics experts from Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center, the epicenter of American autonomous vehicle research. They saw the most practical path to full autonomy as using existing AV technology to augment, rather than replace, human drivers. The company focused on freight trucking and went after its biggest pain points, in particular the need for more supply-chain capacity, reduced costs, increased driver retention, and lower carbon emissions.
RP: There are so many considerations, Sean. So many risk factors!
Sean: Our human-in-the-loop approach means Locomation’s system will enable carriers to navigate complex scenarios such as interactions with law enforcement, adverse weather, construction zones, accident scenes, inspections and emergency vehicle encounters. Additionally, Locomation requires no new federal regulations because our convoys are controlled by human drivers in the lead.
RP: So where is Locomation today?
Sean: Locomation has contracts with four carriers to provide the ARC solution to increase their freight capacity and significantly reduce GHG emissions in the near term. And, as fleets grow their autonomous truck services, Locomation’s early entry provides us with a competitive edge and will generate millions of real-world miles before our competitors are able to deploy autonomous trucks in any sort of economically viable way.
RP: And how about marketing?
Sean: We have been sticking to our message – that Locomation is the only trucking system to use human-guided autonomy, and, as a result, will be the first to deploy AV trucks in profitable commercial operations across the U.S.
Update on Autonomous Trucking: A Conversation with Sean Rushton of Locomation
Rally Point: Hi Sean, thanks for talking to us today about Locomation and your journey.
Sean: Glad to do it. As you know, autonomous trucks have been one of the transportation industry’s hottest topics over the past several years. Many companies have created plans for long-term cost savings and sustainability that hinge on this highly anticipated technology. The issue some are now facing is that Level 4-fully driverless autonomy is still much farther out from profitable commercial deployment than some anticipated.
So, while there are impressive-seeming pilot programs being run in some places, the major cost savings for most companies, with fully-driverless vehicles that can handle new places and unexpected road conditions, is still years away. Locomation is leading the way with our approach to human-guided autonomy, which allows us to get most of the advantages of full autonomy, while still keeping a human in the loop.
RP: That’s so great to hear, Sean. I know it’s been a long road.
Sean: Locomation has made a name for itself with our human-guided Autonomous Relay ConvoySM (ARC) technology, the first step to full autonomy. An ARC system consists of two autonomy-capable trucks with one driver in each truck. Each driver takes turns actively leading the convoy, fully engaged in the function of driving, while the driver in the follower truck rests in the sleeper berth off duty, as the vehicle drives in autonomous follower mode. Our system enables truck fleets to run these convoys virtually around the clock, seven days a week, with major increases for capacity and profitability. Locomation expects to be the first company to deploy autonomous trucking technology in profitable commercial operations across the U.S., coming in the near term.
Sean: The company was founded in 2018 by five robotics experts from Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center, the epicenter of American autonomous vehicle research. They saw the most practical path to full autonomy as using existing AV technology to augment, rather than replace, human drivers. The company focused on freight trucking and went after its biggest pain points, in particular the need for more supply-chain capacity, reduced costs, increased driver retention, and lower carbon emissions.
RP: There are so many considerations, Sean. So many risk factors!
Sean: Our human-in-the-loop approach means Locomation’s system will enable carriers to navigate complex scenarios such as interactions with law enforcement, adverse weather, construction zones, accident scenes, inspections and emergency vehicle encounters. Additionally, Locomation requires no new federal regulations because our convoys are controlled by human drivers in the lead.
RP: So where is Locomation today?
Sean: Locomation has contracts with four carriers to provide the ARC solution to increase their freight capacity and significantly reduce GHG emissions in the near term. And, as fleets grow their autonomous truck services, Locomation’s early entry provides us with a competitive edge and will generate millions of real-world miles before our competitors are able to deploy autonomous trucks in any sort of economically viable way.
RP: And how about marketing?
Sean: We have been sticking to our message – that Locomation is the only trucking system to use human-guided autonomy, and, as a result, will be the first to deploy AV trucks in profitable commercial operations across the U.S.
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