The very first entry in the new “Asides” page:

Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

On the news tonight – Self-driving Semi-Trucks –

I rest my case.

I mean, really? Okay, so maybe it’s not new news exactly… but it’s news to me.

The following is a list of my gut reactions:

  1. 25 ton weight (50k pounds) in steel, aluminum, fiberglass and plastic barelling down the highway under the control of a computer.

In the news, it was claimed that this is to allow the driver to sleep, so

  1. this will be happening while the driver of the Semi is asleep.
  2. Snow
  3. Ice
  4. Deer
  5. Turkeys – oh, I should explain – the animal. Don’t laugh, Turkeys can cause tremendous damage and can go through a windshield like a cannon ball.
  6. Turkeys – by this, I mean what you originally thought – other drivers.
  7. GPS is not always completely accurate. Our house, by GPS, is 300 yards off.

CBS Report on Self-Driving Trucks From Tonight

It seems to me, the only recognizable claim to reason provided is that much needed sleep…

Think about that for just a moment… (take your time)…

For some time, I have been aware of trucking companies and the drivers, to some degree, pushing the limits of the human body to get the load from A to Z and back again. The company makes money, that old bottom line, and the driver makes money. I get it. This is not new, but in my opinion, it has never been right.

Let the poor trucker’s sleep! Find a Hotel, a Motel – or if you really have to, find a Gas -n- Slurp, and sleep in the cab. Take the trucks off the road for a rest.

Eyes only on the bottom-line
we seek to build, but not refine
for profit’s sake, we play with lives
with silicon brains, traces and wires
we’ve lost the art of doing well
for dollars do we deal with hell
tomorrows children will forever pay
for the choices that we make today

© L. Rose

~ Linda

As always, I welcome your comments. What do you think about the Self-Driving Semi? – Thanks for reading!