3 responses to “Trucking Crisis and the Solution”

1. 

   Hammers Thor

   September 19, 2026 at 3:53 pm

   Huh. I asked BraveAI (should have logged into Grok, but I didn’t) what would happen to robotic trucking if we experienced a strong solar flare…

   “Yes, a strong solar flare can disrupt GPS signals and cripple robotic trucking, though it typically affects the signal rather than destroying the satellites themselves.

   GPS Disruption and Signal Degradation
   Solar storms bombard Earth’s ionosphere with charged particles, causing turbulence that bends, slows, or blocks GPS radio signals. This can result in positioning errors of up to 33 feet (10 meters), which is catastrophic for systems requiring centimeter-level precision. While the satellites themselves may suffer from radiation damage or atmospheric drag (leading to re-entry), the primary immediate threat to users is the loss of signal accuracy or complete navigation failure.

   Impact on Robotic Trucking

   Autonomous and robotic trucking relies heavily on high-precision GPS for lane keeping, hazard detection, and route planning. A geomagnetic storm causing 10-meter errors would render these vehicles unable to safely navigate, potentially leading to collisions, road blockages, or emergency stops. Additionally, solar flares can cause radio blackouts and disrupt the communications networks essential for remote monitoring and fleet management, further paralyzing robotic logistics operations.

   Historical Context and Risk

   The May 2024 geomagnetic storm caused GPS outages during planting season, costing the U.S. agricultural industry over $500 million.
   A Carrington-level event (once-in-a-century storm) could cause widespread, prolonged failures in satellites, power grids, and global communications, severely impacting all technology-dependent sectors, including autonomous transport.
   Current mitigation involves monitoring by agencies like NOAA and NASA, allowing operators to switch satellites to safe mode or prepare infrastructure, but real-time protection for ground-based GPS accuracy remains limited.”

   Now, for what it’s worth, the disruption would occur 1-3 days after the flare, when the CME arrives at Earth. Trucking companies would have enough advance notice to pull their autonomous trucks off the road before it hits, so damage would likely be minimal, just like when the re-route aircraft to NOT go over the poles when we have solar storms. Nevertheless, relying on robotics and automation to control 80,000lb vehicles does not seem like a good idea to me.

   Reply
   1. 

      David DeGerolamo

      September 19, 2026 at 4:16 pm

      Trump just increased the hours for truck drivers:
      A temporary 90-day FMCSA waiver issued September 16, 2026, lets drivers hauling gasoline or diesel operate up to 16 hours in a 24-hour period if they take required rest breaks. It applies only to carriers and drivers in good standing and expires December 16.

      We all have read the news on illegal aliens and unqualified men driving tractor trailers. From Grok:
      Human professional drivers operate all current tractor-trailers. Large trucks are involved in roughly 5,000 fatal crashes per year in the U.S., with most deaths occurring in other vehicles. Fatigue, distraction, and hours-of-service issues remain leading human factors.
      It won’t matter if there is no diesel, maintenance parts or products to be transported.

      Since Tesla trucks are still being tested for FSD, there is no record for its safety. Then again, Musk may just use his boring company to build underground networks across the nation for trucking.

      Reply
2. 

   CTR Wolfman

   September 19, 2026 at 4:39 pm

   Here comes the “Great Reset,” 15 minute cities, and digital currencies whether you like it or not. Problem, reaction, solution.

   Reply