Joke of the Week
Two old folks were courting, and it was starting to get serious.
As they were eating an intimate dinner one night, the old man said, "I haven't
been completely hones t with you. I think I am in love with you, but you can
only ever be number two to me. Golf is my hobby, my passion, my first love."
They both stared at their plates for a bit. Then the woman said, "While we're
baring our souls, I guess I better tell you th at I've been a hooker all my life."
The man snapped up, looked at her thoughtfully, then finally said… "Have you
tried widening your stance and adjusting your grip?"
© Portable Sanitation Ass ociation International (PSAI) • 2626 E 82
n d
Street, Suite 175 • Bloomi ngton, MN 55425
www.psai.org • 952 - 854 - 8300
W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 21, 2017
Trucking Gets Tech - y
Many business - world big wigs are working hard on changing the face of truck driving technology
PSAI Members involved in trucking understan d that the industry is in a less - than - ideal
state. While truck driving is the most commonly held job in 29 US states, the role holds an
81% turnover rate. Medium and heavy - duty trucks "generate 23% of the US
transportation sector's overall greenhouse gas e missions." Truck driving is expensive and
grueling with almost no current alternative. However, big names such as Uber, Volvo, and
Google believe they can play a role in finding a solution to some of these issues.
The concept of a self - driving truck is b eing tested across the board. Uber's newly
acquired company Otto and Google's sister company Waymo are currently at the center
of a lawsuit to determine who owns the rights to the advancing technology – however,
both are onto something that could change th e face of the industry. Otto (associated with Uber) sees a future where truck drivers are able to
step away from the wheel to take naps during long trips, putting the car on some form of autopilot. They are building trucks that "could
essentially drive 24/ 7" and would waste less fuel due to less frequent accelerating and braking.
Waymo (associated with Google) has already created self - driving minivans, and is in the midst of converting this technology to work on large
trucks. They hope that this "self - dri ving technology can transport people and things much more safely than we do today," which would
eliminate many of the trucking - related deaths that occur each year.
Interestingly, Volvo is currently "testing its own self - driving trucks for specific scenari os." Currently in Sweden they are "testing autonomous
garbage trucks" to help "make trash collection more efficient." This may be of interest to the PSAI, considering the potentia l this technology has
to become industry specific. Imagining a self - operating service truck doesn't seem so far - fetched after watching this video and seeing what
Volvo's garbage trucks are capable of.
Multiple other companies are hard at work on similar projects, and are featured in the article linked
below. While there are plent y of "unanswered questions" that remain, many of those who are working
with this technology don't plan to eliminate truck driving – they plan to change the role entirely, making
the position much less taxing. With high turnover rates, fatal accident number s, and emission statistics,
these innovations may be the solution the industry has been waiting for. R EAD THE STORY
*Note: The PSAI is not endorsing
any of these companies in particular
or their products. We work hard to
bring our Members the latest ne ws
affecting the portable sanitation
industry in an unbiased fashion.
