zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Beyond Cars
/
'Remote Pod Operator' Would Solve One Of The Biggest Problems With Autonomous Last Mile Deliveries
'Remote Pod Operator' Would Solve One Of The Biggest Problems With Autonomous Last Mile Deliveries-May 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:13:54

Image for article titled 'Remote Pod Operator' Would Solve One Of The Biggest Problems With Autonomous Last Mile Deliveries

A Swedish freight technology company revealed a new job title at SXSW on Monday which may help answer the interminable problem of getting packages to customers’ front door.

The last-mile of delivery is the most costly and time consuming portion of any package’s journey through global shipping. With more customers expecting free shipping, companies and logistics companies are desperate to cut down on those costs. Autonomous vehicles might be the answer to cutting costs and time, if only we could get them to think like a human when encountering problems. has an autonomous pod that can mostly bumble around the streets on its own, but like all autonomous vehicle in existence today, it needs occasional help.

Enter the “Remote Pod Operator,” the first of which is trucking veteran Tiffany Heathcott. It’s the operators’ job to monitor the self-driving delivery pods and do their best to help them out of any jams or scraps they may come up against. Since the pods are mostly autonomous, one operator can monitor several vehicles at once. This cuts down on traffic as well as truck emissions as the pods are entirely electric. All operators will be required to have active CDL license B class as well as commercial driving experience.

This is particularly a big deal, as a gig as a Remote Pod Operator would solve a lot of the problems of being a trucker; long hours away from home in a stressful, body wrecking environment. As a Remote Pod Operator, truckers could put in a normal eight hours and go home to their families like anyone else. They could stand up and stretch, like any old officer worker.

“Once other truck drivers are able to see what the remote approach to shipping can do for them, both on a professional and personal level, I’m confident that more and more will want to take part in creating lasting change,” Tiffany Heathcott said in a .

The company says the team of pod operators has grown since Heathcott was hired, but it doesn’t say how many people are piloting pods. It is getting a foothold in the U.S., with a regional office in Austin and plans to have a headquarters in New York. So maybe you might see one humming along a city street near you someday. Either way, I think Einride is on to something. Reintroducing the human element into self-driving technology might just be the safest and smartest way to bridge the gap between now and a potentially fully autonomous future.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Beyond Cars
Gear Review: The Racer USA High Speed Gloves Are The Best Racing Gloves I've Ever Worn
Gear Review: The Racer USA High Speed Gloves Are The Best Racing Gloves I've Ever Worn
When you’re riding a bike at its limits and your own, it’s important to have motorcycle gear that performs well both at speed and in the event of a crash. The Racer Gloves USA High Speed glove pairs comfort, protection, and fit into a perfect package. I’ve struggled to find...
May 3, 2025
This Photo Shows One Of The Navy's Huge Floating Gas Stations In Action
This Photo Shows One Of The Navy's Huge Floating Gas Stations In Action
The U.S. Navy would not be able to do what it does without its fleet of non-commissioned , especially its fleet oilers and resupply ships. USNS Kanawha refuels the cruiser USS San Jacinto and the destroyer USS Roosevelt while underway in this photo, with the USS Nitze and USS Mason...
May 3, 2025
A Ducati Scrambler 400 Is On The Way So New Riders Don't Have To Ride Transformers
A Ducati Scrambler 400 Is On The Way So New Riders Don't Have To Ride Transformers
An Italian site is claiming to have spy pics which confirm Ducati is about to release a 400 Scrambler. One of the best bikes of the year is about to get a little brother. I think that . Full stop. You can read the linked story above, but basically I...
May 3, 2025
Yamaha Teases A 'Big Bang' In This Tron-Like Preview
Yamaha Teases A 'Big Bang' In This Tron-Like Preview
To build hype for something Yamaha is qualifying as a “big bang” to be unveiled at the EICMA show in Milan November 16th, the company dropped this very Japanese Tron-like teaser video. Yamaha Motor Europe followed up with: ‘A big bang is imminent. And from it will emerge an explosive...
May 3, 2025
San Francisco Photog Caught An Amazing Time Lapse Of Last Night's Missile Launch
San Francisco Photog Caught An Amazing Time Lapse Of Last Night's Missile Launch
Justin Majeczky was perched high above the Golden Gate Bridge on Slacker Hill executing some time-lapse photography last night when something showed up in his frame that he surely didn’t expect—a off the coast of Southern California. The result is breathtaking imagery that even catches the missile ascending up from...
May 3, 2025
The Unlikely Struggle Of The Family Whose Neighbor Is Area 51
The Unlikely Struggle Of The Family Whose Neighbor Is Area 51
Plenty of landowners have fought the government over plans to seize their property. But the Sheahan family of Nevada have not spent decades defendingsome mundane corner of farmland from being covered by a proposed interstate. The Sheahans’ ancestral mining land is getting seized over its very unique next-door neighbor:...
May 3, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved