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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.
在开发自动驾驶汽车的竞赛中，很难选出明显的赢家，但自动驾驶卡车已经形成了令人信服的领先优势。机器人卡车已经完成了数千次自动化旅行，世界似乎准备迎接一个无人驾驶送货的新时代。
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)和彼得比尔特(Peterbilt)等知名汽车制造商，以及Aurora、TuSimple和Waymo Via等自动驾驶汽车创新者，已经投入了数十亿美元，致力于让自动驾驶卡车工作。制造商和科技公司认为，这是对公路货运市场的一项坚实投资。据估计，仅在美国，公路货运市场的价值就超过7000亿美元。
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.
车辆配备了复杂的激光雷达道路扫描系统、计算机视觉和人工智能预测软件，服务于配送中心之间的所谓“中间一英里”，在那里，货物被取走和丢弃，由人类司机完成送货到家庭和企业的任务。
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.
位于德克萨斯州中北部的沃斯堡是一个占地2.7万英亩的配送中心的所在地，其中包括一个货运机场和铁路站场，包括亚马逊、UPS和联邦快递在内的公司在该地区设有基地。自动驾驶汽车公司安装了适合自动驾驶汽车的基础设施，包括5G蜂窝网络和专业仓库码头，为该行业创造了增长空间。
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.
更长、更直的高速公路为自动驾驶汽车(AV)公司提供了训练自动驾驶技术的绝佳机会。而德克萨斯州拥有宽阔的高速公路、繁荣的公路货运市场和宽松的法规，为卡车的道路测试提供了近乎理想的条件。
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级半挂车机器人卡车在沃斯堡和休斯顿之间的长途线路上无人驾驶，这在一定程度上要归功于2017年通过的一项允许测试的州法案。包括亚利桑那州、俄勒冈州和弗吉尼亚州在内的其他州都有自己的法规，允许在公共道路上进行自动驾驶测试。
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.
汽车自动化分为6个级别，第5级——完全自动驾驶，可以任意驾驶——是最终目标。自动驾驶旅程通常运行在第四级，在驾驶室里有一名备用司机，随时准备在事故发生时进行控制。
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，一辆全自动“司机下车”半卡车在亚利桑那州图森市的一个铁路站场和凤凰城的一个配送中心之间的公共道路上行驶了80英里，以证明四级卡车是安全的。几家公司现在计划在德州州际公路上部署无人驾驶卡车。
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，一旦自动驾驶技术普及，多达90%的长途卡车运输工作可能会被自动驾驶技术抢走。一项研究预测，随着高速公路驾驶自动化，将有超过50万个工作岗位消失。美国有350万卡车司机，工会和行业领袖表示，可能会出现大量失业。
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.
安全是另一个问题。在德克萨斯州恩尼斯附近，一辆Waymo Via 8级卡车与另一辆人工驾驶半挂车相撞，引发了有关部门是否准备好应对这项新技术的质疑。人类司机有责任，但Waymo卡车上的安全操作人员在事故发生时没有进行控制，一份报告暴露了事故处理方式的弱点。
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.
自动驾驶汽车行业代表表示，他们的汽车比人类驾驶的汽车更安全，将提高道路安全。但道路安全活动人士、交通工人和城市当局对没有更严格控制的快速变化表示怀疑。所有人都认为有必要制定新的法律，并详细说明新技术将如何影响社会。
