Thursday 10 November 2022 11:56 PM Driverless truck testing in Melbourne put thousands of jobs at risk, Victorian ... trends now Driverless trucks will be on Australian roads in a matter of hours with Melbourne drivers and some of the city's busiest freeways becoming the first guinea pigs to trial the new technology. The Australia-first trial will kick off at 9pm on Friday night with the driverless trucks maintaining a speed of 80km/h to complete an 80km loop around Melbourne - starting from Todd Rd on the West Gate Freeway before travelling along CityLink and through to Warrigal Road on the Monash Freeway. Safety drivers will be in the truck at all times and will take the wheel 'if necessary', with the trial running until 2am every night. The trucks do not rely on vehicle sensors but instead use real-time data from CCTV cameras and lane use management signs to stay safely on the road. While many have applauded the new technology, Victorian Tippers United (VTU) secretary and truckie Luke McCrone blasted the trial, saying it would mean disaster for thousands of Australians by putting drivers out of work. 'Transport provides more than just financial security for over half a million people in Australia, it also provides a sense of purpose for people,' he told Daily Mail Australia. 'Any roll out of job-killing driverless trucks needs to bear that in mind.' Driverless trucks will be tested on Melbourne's CityLink highway from Friday night through to mid-December (pictured, supervising truck drivers in the driverless truck) Victorian Tippers United secretary and truckie Luke McCrone (above) called for the government to stop the tests that are putting thousands of jobs at risk Mr McCrone said he was also worried for Melbourne drivers - who would be on the road at the same time as the driverless trucks. 'Let them put pilotless planes in the air first where they don’t have thousands of everyday people sharing the space with them,' Mr McCrone said. 'Once that is proven safe then, and only then, come talk to me about such nonsense as driverless trucks.' Mr McCrone slammed the state government for failing to reach out to industry groups, like VTU, before conducting the tests. 'Drivers need to be consulted as a first step, not a last step. Now we hear driverless trucks are on the road without a word from the government,' he said. 'No doubt big trucking companies, those that stand to gain from throwing thousands out of work, have been consulted but not a word to the men and women who rely on trucks for their livelihood.' The driverless trucks, operate by satellite technology, will travel at 80km/h in the highway's 'fast lane' (pictured, one of the driverless trucks) Mr McCrone said many drivers had invested in their own vehicles and paid thousands to obtain licences, all of which could soon be obsolete. 'The VTU is a small association representing tip truck owner-drivers so it's no surprise the government hasn't spoken to us. But they must have spoken to the larger transport workers union,' he said. 'It's difficult to understand how they could have signed off on this trial given the massive efforts of the entire transport industry.' Designer of the driverless trial and owner Transurban assured commuters the vehicles will travel at just 80km/h with a supervising driver in the cabin and a nearby warning car. With the threat of putting thousands of truckies out of a job, Mr McCrone said the VTU was firmly against the testing and possible future use of driverless trucks. 'The VTU is calling on all levels of government to immediately halt the trials of driverless trucks until there has been proper consideration of the social and economic effects of throwing hundreds of thousands out of a job,' he said. 'This consideration must include listening to the voices of drivers.' Transurban general manager Tien-Ti Mak said his company was 'terrifically excited' to be trialing the technology. 'The reason why we're trying top put this truck on the road is to prepare for the future,' he told Sunrise. 'We're looking for new solutions to the increasing amount of freight we're going to have to move on Melbourne's roads over the coming years and we need to try out the technology in order to prepare. 'It will be quite a number of years before we see these type of trucks on the road in large quantities.' Driverless truck trials in the US found they could deliver 10 days worth of cargo in just five days (pictured, driverless truck simulation) Transurban's head of safety Liz Waller said the technology, cameras and traffic control officers already in place on CityLink ensured the trial could go ahead safely. 'Rolling out the trials safely is our top priority and we’re working closely with key authorities to complete these trials with minimal disruption to motorists,' she said. 'Transurban’s team of 24/7 traffic control officers will have their eyes on the road and will be monitoring traffic conditions to keep all motorists moving safely and efficiently.' Driverless trucks are already operating in the US with an eighteen-wheeler running goods between Dallas and Atlanta for five days straight in March. The trial found the truck could complete the same amount of work as normal trucks in half the amount of time with the trial completing 10 days worth of work in five. However, it also concluded the technology wasn't fully advanced enough for the trucks to tackle problems on the road without a driver. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS WITH DRIVERLESS TRUCKS Tests of driverless trucks around the world have found technology isn't quite ready to deal with all the problems of the road without a driver, including: Pile Ups Trials in America found the trucks struggled with evasive maneuvers, particularly with crashes involving more than two cars. High Initial Cost The construction of the driverless trucks is very expensive. Computer Malfunctions Driverless trucks rely on hundreds of computers to operate, if one or several were to suddenly fail it could put other drivers at risk. All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility