Waymo is the company that is part of the Alphabet Group (like Google) and has been dedicated for more than 10 years to developing technologies to achieve autonomous cars and trucks, and I think it is the one that has advanced the most in this field.

One part of the company has been dedicated to autonomous cars and another (called Waymo Via) to autonomous trucks. And recently Waymo has announced that it is going to slow down its work to get autonomous trucks, and has laid off a part of its workforce.

It is a quite logical decision if we take into account that in California they are going to present a law that forces trucks to circulate "always" with a driver behind the wheel for safety reasons. And if that law is approved, it calls into question the future of autonomous trucks in that state.

Waymo has said that it will continue to collaborate with Daimler in the field of autonomous trucks, but I suppose that what they will do is to apply improvements to the driving of the trucks, to help drivers and improve their safety, but without going beyond Level 3 autonomous driving that forces the driver to be aware of what is happening on the road.

In a truck, the RISK of what happens when any accident occurs is much higher than in a car. Due to its weight and volume, the consequences are much more serious, and civil liability is much greater.

Autonomous cars (autonomous taxis) will end up prevailing in some parts of big cities, but not on any type of road where the variables are many, unexpected and changing.

The technology will develop and improvements will appear for the driving of cars and trucks, and it is almost certain that Waymo will reach agreements with different manufacturers to offer their developments and that they include them in their vehicles.

As always, the passage of time settles the ideas and all the developments and projects adapt to the needs of the people.

By Amador Palacios

Reflections of Amador Palacios on topics of Social and Technological News; other opinions different from mine are welcome

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