These automatic trucks work better when we put them on rails

The easy, low-cost solution is to build freight rail. But no, that's communism and it doesn't get a tech billionaire their extra billion.

I wouldn't call effective rail infrastructure "low-cost".
- compared to highways? absolutely low-cost.
- Cheaper than highways. The reason why long haul trucking exists is because the construction of highways is highly subsidized. Even then, it's often more cost effective to use rail.
- I wouldn't exactly call removing nature and laying down the track "easy" either. That's tens of thousands of miles of steel carving through the terrain.
  
  Also, we have a ton of rail, it's just prioritized for freight over passenger transit. A high speed passenger rail network would be nice though.
Rails are indeed one of the cheapest, best scaling, and most reliable ways to move goods no doubt, but it also has a last mile problem.

Just wanted to point out the solution isn’t as easy as “rails all things”. Trucks still do offer some situational advantages, and will still have their place in logistics.
- I agree with the sentiment, but did you not notice the "across the country" part of the title?
- The place of trucks in logistics is in hell, delivering coal.
If it can be done economically, it'll be done. And it has been, the freight rail network in the US is huge.
There is nothing low cost or easy about building coast to coast freight rail. It would take a minimum of 20 years and cost billions.
- The US has had a transcontinental railroad network for over a century. The Western US was initially settled largely on railway stops, land grants, and mandatory passenger service. The passenger service was one of the conditions for the land grants.

That is literally the most dangerous bike lane in existence

I saw the picture first and finished the headline in my mind:

A self-driving freight truck just drove across several cyclists
- The cyclists were turned into butter
holy shit, i thought that was some kind of graphical overlay. that's a bike lane!? that has to be intentional, like some kind of malicious compliance from someone who hates cyclists
JFC, whose bright idea was that?
- The buddy of the governor who got the contract lul. At least that's what happened in my friends small town when they built a roundabout that took 4 years to finish for a small 4 lane intersection that had stops before on a road that got maaaaaybe 12 cars a day

The next self driving truck will be delivering ice to alaska.

Hear me out: trains

I'm sure glad we developed technology just to avoid paying one person to drive that truck. This is progress and will not have knock on consequences. We should celebrate this.

This, but unironically. Automation is a good thing, and every driver who loses their job over this drives the necessity of finding post-automation solutions that much closer to the breaking point.
- Oh yes, I'm sure our current socioeconomic systems will get right on finding post automation solutions. That'll happen real soon now. I mean, it'll have to happen, right? We won't just let all the jobs dissolve away so that shareholders get richer, right? That would be crazy to do that. I can't imagine a society that would possibly do that, could you?
- This but realistically it has ruined equality at the rate time as it improved life quality
- Yes because losing your job to robots is fun, rich will be richer and poor will be more miserable

This must have been intentional

Caption better than meme!

I don't get it.

their only purpose is to pass butter
Bottom frame is a scene from Rick and Morty. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ht-ZyJOV2k
- That was hilarious, sad and adorable at the same time. Thank you for the context, I’ve never seen the show before.
- Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ht-ZyJOV2k
  
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.

King Harlaus: heavy breathing