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Clear winners are hard to pick in the race to develop self-driving vehicles, but autonomous trucks have built a convincing lead. Robotrucks have completed thousands of automated journeys and the world appears to be braced for a new era of driverless delivery.
在開發自動駕駛汽車的競賽中，很難選出明顯的贏家，但自動駕駛卡車已經形成了令人信服的領先優勢。機器人卡車已經完成了數千次自動化旅行，世界似乎準備迎接一個無人駕駛送貨的新時代。
Big-name vehicle manufacturers like Daimler and Peterbilt, alongside AV innovators like Aurora, TuSimple, and Waymo Via have sunk billions of dollars into making self-driving trucks work. Manufacturers and technology companies see this as a solid investment in a road freight market estimated to be worth more than $700 billion in the US alone.
戴姆勒(Daimler)和彼得比爾特(Peterbilt)等知名汽車製造商，以及Aurora、TuSimple和Waymo Via等自動駕駛汽車創新者，已經投入了數十億美元，致力於讓自動駕駛卡車工作。製造商和科技公司認為，這是對公路貨運市場的一項堅實投資。據估計，僅在美國，公路貨運市場的價值就超過7000億美元。
Vehicles are fitted with sophisticated LIDAR road scanning systems, computer vision, and AI predictive software, servicing the so-called ‘ middle mile ’ between distribution centers, where loads are picked up and dropped off for human drivers to complete deliveries to homes and businesses.
車輛配備了複雜的激光雷達道路掃描系統、計算機視覺和人工智能預測軟件，服務於配送中心之間的所謂“中間一英里”，在那裡，貨物被取走和丟棄，由人類司機完成送貨到家庭和企業的任務。
Fort Worth, in north central Texas, is the site of a 27,000-acre distribution hub that includes a freight airport and rail yard, with regional bases for companies including Amazon, UPS, and FedEx. Infrastructure friendly to self-driving vehicles was installed by AV companies, including 5G cell networks and specialist warehouse docks, to create room for the industry to grow.
位於德克薩斯州中北部的沃斯堡是一個佔地2.7萬英畝的配送中心的所在地，其中包括一個貨運機場和鐵路站場，包括亞馬遜、UPS和聯邦快遞在內的公司在該地區設有基地。自動駕駛汽車公司安裝了適合自動駕駛汽車的基礎設施，包括5G蜂窩網絡和專業倉庫碼頭，為該行業創造了增長空間。
Longer, straighter highway drives have provided autonomous vehicle (AV) companies with the perfect opportunity to train their self-driving technology. And Texas, with its spacious highways, thriving road freight market, and relaxed regulations provided near ideal conditions to road test the trucks.
更長、更直的高速公路為自動駕駛汽車(AV)公司提供了訓練自動駕駛技術的絕佳機會。而德克薩斯州擁有寬闊的高速公路、繁榮的公路貨運市場和寬鬆的法規，為卡車的道路測試提供了近乎理想的條件。
Large class 8 semi-trailer robotrucks drove unmanned on long-distance routes between Fort Worth and Houston thanks in part to a state bill passed in 2017 permitting the tests. Other states including Arizona, Oregon, and Virginia have their own regulations in place to allow AV testing on public roads.
大型8級半挂車機器人卡車在沃斯堡和休斯頓之間的長途線路上無人駕駛，這在一定程度上要歸功於2017年通過的一項允許測試的州法案。包括亞利桑那州、俄勒岡州和弗吉尼亞州在內的其他州都有自己的法規，允許在公共道路上進行自動駕駛測試。
There are six levels of vehicle automation and level five – full autonomy, drive anywhere – is the end goal. Autonomous journeys often run at level four, with a backup driver in the cab ready to take control in case an accident happens.
汽車自動化分為6個級別，第5級——完全自動駕駛，可以任意駕駛——是最終目標。自動駕駛旅程通常運行在第四級，在駕駛室里有一名備用司機，隨時準備在事故發生時進行控制。
Last year, a fully automated ‘driver out’ semi-truck drove 80 miles on public roads between a railyard in Tucson, Arizona, and a distribution center in Phoenix to prove level four trucks are safe. Several companies now plan to deploy driverless trucks on Texas interstates.
去年，一輛全自動“司機下車”半卡車在亞利桑那州圖森市的一個鐵路站場和鳳凰城的一個配送中心之間的公共道路上行駛了80英里，以證明四級卡車是安全的。幾家公司現在計劃在德州州際公路上部署無人駕駛卡車。
Analysts say that up to 90 percent of long-haul trucking jobs could be lost to self-driving technology once it becomes widespread. One study predicts that more than 500,000 jobs will disappear as highway driving is automated. There are 3.5 million truck drivers in the US and unions and industry leaders say huge job losses are likely.
分析人士表示，一旦自動駕駛技術普及，多達90%的長途卡車運輸工作可能會被自動駕駛技術搶走。一項研究預測，隨着高速公路駕駛自動化，將有超過50萬個工作崗位消失。美國有350萬卡車司機，工會和行業領袖表示，可能會出現大量失業。
Safety is another concern. Questions of whether authorities are ready to deal with the new technology followed a crash between a Waymo Via class 8 truck and another human-driven semi-truck near Ennis, Texas. The human driver was at fault, but the safety operator in the Waymo truck did not take control during the incident and a report exposed weaknesses in the way the crash was dealt with.
安全是另一個問題。在德克薩斯州恩尼斯附近，一輛Waymo Via 8級卡車與另一輛人工駕駛半挂車相撞，引發了有關部門是否準備好應對這項新技術的質疑。人類司機有責任，但Waymo卡車上的安全操作人員在事故發生時沒有進行控制，一份報告暴露了事故處理方式的弱點。
AV industry representatives say their vehicles are safer than cars driven by people and will improve road safety. But doubts from road safety campaigners, transport workers, and city authorities exist about rapid change without stricter controls. All agree that new laws will be necessary, as well as more detail on how society will be affected by the new technology.
自動駕駛汽車行業代表表示，他們的汽車比人類駕駛的汽車更安全，將提高道路安全。但道路安全活動人士、交通工人和城市當局對沒有更嚴格控制的快速變化表示懷疑。所有人都認為有必要制定新的法律，並詳細說明新技術將如何影響社會。
