These robot friends can't be any worse than some of the truckers and non-truckers I see already driving up and down interstates like lunatics on my weekly trips.
I think this is awesome, the trucking industry has a major shortage of drivers (companies don't pay $hit anymore) so this will help, probably 5-10 years away from really helping but you have to start somewhere. I can see this being used to go hub to hub and then have a human take it the final mile
Yeah, this is what I thought, too - an interstate trip before packages are off-loaded for humans to drive around in cities. I do wonder how the big rigs will navigate wrecks, obstacles, and other abnormal situations on I-45 nowadays. I drive up and down I-45 weekly and some days it's like a warzone with wrecks in the middle of nowhere between small towns causing traffic jams and almost always debris from blown tires or "parts of stuff" littering the roads. I had no idea companies didn't pay much anymore because I always thought most long-haul truckers were making really good money. For some reason I thought they would make 6 figures easily. Probably because I used to watch way too much Ice Road Truckers.
For short routes like HOU-DAL, they can evade a lot of that by having the driver-less trucks only “work” in middle of the night. But long-hauls, I’m sure they plan to use these nearly 24-7. Maybe they’ll map routes so heavy sections of interstate are timed for midnight travel.
**** that. My favorite time to drive is late at night/early in the morning when nobody is around. The last thing I need is convoys of drone trucks going the speed limit in both lanes.
Yeah, I've heard that around midnight to 5am is probably when most truckers prefer to drive (so they can avoid congestion).
If the trucks only do a Night Run between DFW and Houston, then that is going to cause a huge amount of idle time when the truck isn't moving. The companies will save money by not having to pay a Human Driver, but the Gross Income to the Truck will also be less because the Truck will be sitting much of the time parked somewhere instead of on the Road.
Check your storage: Chrome may be downloading a 4GB AI model — here’s what we know Is Chrome stealing your storage? The 'weights.bin' controversy explained I didn’t expect Google Chrome to take up this much space on my computer. According to a recent report from Cybernews, some users have discovered a large file (around 4GB) quietly sitting inside Chrome’s system folders. The file is reportedly named weights.bin, and it may be tied to a new wave of AI features rolling out inside Google's browser. So, the obvious question is why is Chrome downloading something this big — and did you agree to it? Here's what's actually going on. What is the 4GB file in Chrome? Specifically, it appears linked to Gemini Nano, Google’s lightweight AI model designed to run locally on your device instead of in the cloud. This model powers features like writing assistance, text summarization, scam and phishing detection as well as AI-powered autofill and suggestions. So, instead of sending your data to a server, the model runs directly on your computer, which is technically better for privacy. Of course, there's an obvious tradeoff (storage). Specifically, it appears linked to Gemini Nano, Google’s lightweight AI model designed to run locally on your device instead of in the cloud. This model powers features like writing assistance, text summarization, scam and phishing detection as well as AI-powered autofill and suggestions. So, instead of sending your data to a server, the model runs directly on your computer, which is technically better for privacy. Of course, there's an obvious tradeoff (storage). The thing is, even “lightweight” versions like Gemini Nano can take up gigabytes of storage because they include massive sets of trained parameters, hence a file like weights.bin. This explains why some users are noticing a sudden 4GB increase in storage usage, new folders inside Chrome directories (like OptGuideOnDeviceModel) and no obvious notification explaining what was downloaded. But all of that could be a big problem for anyone using a laptop with limited space. Did Chrome install this file without permission? Well, this is where things get a bit...murky. According to the Cybernews report, the model may download automatically when certain AI features are enabled, but users aren’t always clearly told that a multi-gigabyte file is part of that process. There’s no strong evidence that Chrome is installing this on every device without consent. But there is a growing concern that the download isn’t always clearly explained or that it may be tied to features users didn’t realize were enabled. In other words, there's no obvious "yes/no" moment for the storage impact. The company just wasn't exactly transparent. How to check if it’s on your PC If you’re curious (or low on storage), here’s how to look: Open File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) Navigate to your Chrome data folders Look for directories with names like: OptGuideOnDeviceModel or files named weights.bin These locations can vary depending on your system, but they’re typically buried in Chrome’s application data folders. Can you delete it? Yes, you can delete it, but there's a catch. If you delete the file, Chrome may re-download it later if the related AI features are still active. You may notice that some AI-powered features inside the browser may stop working. To fully prevent it from coming back, you may need to disable certain AI features in Chrome settings or, turn off experimental flags tied to on-device AI. Keep in mind that these settings aren't always easy to find yet, which is part of the issue. Why this is happening now While this may feel like a bug, it's actually a shift. Big tech companies like Google are rapidly moving toward on-device AI, where your laptop or phone does the processing instead of the cloud. This shift comes with benefits like better privacy, faster responses and offline functionality. But it also means your devices are starting to store parts of the AI themselves. And that's new (and a storage shock) for many users. Bottom line This isn’t a “Chrome is secretly installing something malicious” situation, but it does show where software is heading. As AI gets baked into everyday tools, your computer is quietly becoming part of the system that runs it. The real issue isn’t the 4GB file, it’s whether anyone told you it would be there. Right now, that transparency feels like a work in progress, which makes it worth paying closer attention to what’s being stored on your device.
This is just the first step because it has the least resistance. Once nighttime logistics and operations are fully ironed out, daytime runs won't be too far behind. Eventually, my wild guess is all they'll need to do is avoid rush hours in each city. I've driven my car between DFW and Houston over 100 times and missing the rush hours was my #1 priority. So glad those days are over.
You guys are thinking too logically and systematically with the robo-truckers. Shipping companies are notorious for pushing human drivers to go right now, damn the torpedos, full speed ahead, always chasing the next buck to the point of ignoring safety and driver health if they can get away with it. Without actual drivers in the loop to push back? These shipping companies are about ROI, and they're going to be pushing the boundries of acceptable use from the get--go. I bet most of them are already trying to figure out how they are going to run their robo-truckers with as close to zero down-time as possible as we speak. These companies aren't about strategery or "the long play". They're about how they can stuff as many jobs through the pipe as they can at one time and as soon as possible so they can get paid the most. They aren't known for being subtle or patient.
Just a reminder that Meta is ending end-to-end encryption in Instagram today. Enjoy your newfound functionality (lol) : Instagram update means Meta can now see your private messages
I agree and traffic patterns for various road segments will be closely studied. Maybe DFW <--> Houston is best done at night while San Antonio <--> Houston has fewer issues during the day compared to DFW <--> Houston.
I don't know if software - smarts for this will start with just dedicated routes with full blown Drive Anywhere available some time in the future.
