Bucket E, regional shifts: automation is changing how freight moves across the United States, from Mississippi River towboats to driverless trucks in Texas. Reuters reports that software is helping operators cut idle time, improve routing and use transport assets for more hours each day.
Southern Devall installed the Mythos AI Advanced Pilot Assist System on a commercial Mississippi River towboat last year. The system monitors hazards, tracks vessels, calculates stopping distances and identifies ways to save fuel. One gallon of fuel can move one ton of cargo more than 500 miles by barge, compared with about 60 miles by truck, according to the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Aurora Innovation and other developers are also moving driverless commercial freight in Texas. Trucks account for more than 60 percent of United States transport fuel use, and autonomous systems can optimize speed, braking, routing and operating hours. Continuous operation could lower unit costs, though cheaper freight may increase total traffic and offset some fuel savings.
The energy stakes extend beyond individual operators because transport accounts for about 37 percent of total United States energy consumption and roughly 70 percent of petroleum demand. Railroads are adopting machine vision and automated inspection, while aviation regulators are preparing for more automated cargo flights. For barge operators and cargo owners, automation could make inland shipping more predictable and strengthen its cost advantage over road freight.