Nevada to Have First Autonomous Trucks in America

Daimler Trucks North America is the first to get approval for self-driving commercial vehicles in the United States. The Freightliner Inspiration Truck, and other trucks like it, could have massive implications for the future of transportation. The Inspiration truck features a system called Highway Pilot, which uses stereoscopic cameras and radar sensors to give it an autonomous autopilot mode when cruising on the highway. The truck can steer to stay between lane markers and adjust its speed and braking to maintain a safe following distance behind other cars on the road all while the driver is free to do other things.

It’s considered a “level 3” autonomous vehicle, meaning it enables hands-off highway driving under certain circumstances, but requires a driver to be present, ready to take the helm in an emergency or to pass other vehicles in the truck’s path. The driver is likewise required to assume control of the vehicle when exiting the highway, driving over local roads and pulling up to the loading dock for making or taking deliveries.

For the record, a “level 4″ vehicle would be able to perform all driving functions and monitor roadway conditions for an entire trip, truly freeing up the valuable resource of human time.

Daimler executives are being careful to allay fears of human employment disruption. “We don’t want to get rid of drivers,” says Sven Ennerst, head of Daimler Trucks’ development department. Daimler continues by repeatedly saying the technology won’t can’t change lanes on its own, it won’t be market-ready for a decade, and could never fully replace human drivers.

The reality remains that that it is a big step towards addressing a massive market need: safe and reliable transportation.

Some large freight carriers have already started incorporating innovative new safety features like blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and lane departure warnings. The economic case for these technologies is clear.

“Commercial vehicles are a safety issue,” says Xavier Mosquet, head of Boston Consulting Group’s North America automotive division. “And therefore anything that can get commercial vehicles out of trouble has a lot of value.”

With America's driver shortage continuing to worsen, good truck drivers cost more these days. Costs are also rising for companies that cut corners and hire unsafe drivers. Liability in a commercial truck accident is increasingly falling on the shipper.

HWP - Highway Pilot

In order to get the autonomous vehicle license plate from the state of Nevada, Daimler needed to prove the system could safely cover 10,000 miles on its own. This was done on test tracks in Germany and on quiet roads in Nevada.

Daimler ran a small study (16 drivers on a test track) to see how this autonomous system affects drivers. EEG readings showed they were 25 percent less tired than they were when they had to steer themselves.

Customers are very much interested in this system, according to Daimler. That’s no surprise: Making driving a job for the computer can reduce accidents, improve fuel efficiency, and maybe keep trucks on the road for longer, says Noël Perry, an economist who specializes in transportation and logistics. “They all love this.”

Additional Reading:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27485-autonomous-truck-cleared-to-drive-on-us-roads-for-the-first-time.html#.VVDGtNNVhBd

http://www.wired.com/2015/05/daimler-built-worlds-first-self-driving-semi/

Connect & Collaborate - Water Summit

Water is our most precious resource, however limited it may be. Particularly so in Colorado, where water is most abundant where people are scarce, and scarce where people are more abundant. Thus begins the battle over water rights, where to accumulate it, which communities get it, and how to distribute water between agriculture and utilities. Fortunately, both the people and the pundits of this state, do their best to work together to solve water issues. James Eklund considers these issues every day, as the Director of the Colorado Water Conservation Board. This week, he shares the state's concerns and proposed solutions. He acknowledges that eighteen down-water states depend on Colorado for their share of water, and we have a responsibility to supply them while also providing sufficient water for our own state's needs.

We will also talk with Representative J. Paul Brown of District 59, about his agenda for this legislative session, including water rights issues for the Western Slope.

If you're interested in contributing to the larger conversation about water rights, join the Colorado Business Roundtable along with additional, important sponsors for the South Metro Denver: Water Summit, Thursday April 9th at the Lone Tree Arts Center:

We also have guest, Laura Frigo, Executive Director of the Chamber of the Americas Foundation on Denver's international impact. Laura is newly appointed to create new micro-development programming and build relationships between U.S. companies and institutions, and their partners abroad. Laura has an impressive international background, and experience living, working and researching in both Mexico and Brazil. We are excited to learn more from Laura about the connections to be formed from Denver, internationally.

Listen Saturday at 1:00 PM on 710 KNUS –  Please let us know what you think of our program, either by commenting here or on Facebook at Connect & Collaborate with ICOSA or join the discussion on Twitter @ICOSAMagazine.

City of Denver Office of Economic Development Hosts Tech Job Fair

On Thursday, October 30th, The City of Denver and ICOSA Media came together in collaboration in order to strengthen the already booming job market of Denver's tech sector.  The event, titled Denver’s Tech Talent: Meeting Tomorrow’s Needs and hosted at the ICOSA Media Event Center, was set up by the Denver Offices of Economic Development to connect those looking for employment with companies seeking talented employees.  The day began at 9:00 a.m. when ICOSA Media CEO and founder of the Colorado Business Roundtable, Gayle Dendinger, welcomed all the attendees to the event.  Shortly after, tech company CEO's sat down with a representative from the Colorado Technology Association to discuss what drives them to succeed, and how those looking to work in the technology sector could improve their chances of meeting the right company.

After the panel discussion, the fair opened up for the public to meet and talk with some of the biggest and fastest growing tech companies in Denver.  Special consideration was made for veterans who re-entering the work force, and all were given a chance to get to know a lot of the companies driving the economic success story that is Colorado.

A full photo gallery can be found here.

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Disputable Nutrition

Much has been made of the new nutrition requirements associated with the National School Lunch Program which has been in place for two years now. A search of stories and blog posts show musings and manifestos from parents and teachers who have seen pounds upon pounds of food thrown out by students who are required to take certain portions (fruits or vegetables) but won't eat it.  Some school officials have pointed to the problem as a source of extreme and unnecessary waste.

The underlying problem may be nutrition requirements so specific, that cafeteria kitchens can only meet them with bland, tasteless food results. Which, no matter how you slice it, does no good at all.

It's unclear whether that's the reason one Colorado school district is opting out of the national program, regardless of the financial incentive to participate.  Weeks before the start of the 2014-2015 school year, the Douglas County School District's board approved a decision to allow the districts nine high schools to drop out of the program. Students who qualify for free or reduced cost school lunches can still participate in the program, but the school district will not be reimbursed by the federal government.

The district's figures show that about 6 percent of their students qualify, and the loss in reimbursement would about to $167,000.

"We're prepared to absorb those costs," said Brent Craig, the district's director of nutrition services. "We're unique in that way. If I was managing a district with a higher number of free or reduced lunch students, I couldn't do it."

Delving deeper, the decision seems to be the result of examining what goes into meeting the NSLP requirements. In one case, the district's chef managed to get a variation of pizza to the recommended 350 calories, but only by replacing the natural cheese with modified food starch, yet it exceeded the maximum allowance of 480 mg sodium. Students didn't like the pizza, but another option, healthier than commercial pizza was well-liked. And that's what the school district would prefer investing their resources in, and ultimately feed to students.

To read more about this decision as well as the NSLP requirements, check out this story from the Denver Post or examine the Nutrition Standards.

Connect & Collaborate - Sex Trafficking Awareness

The most horrific crimes, involving women and children are being committed under a cover of normalcy and ignorance. Human trafficking and sex trafficking victims are exploited and abused here in Denver and very few of us will ever notice. It takes place within a dirty game of manipulation, where victims pose as the girlfriends of their abusers. An incredibly organized structure pits women against women. Many "someones" are making loads of filthy, tainted money from the abuse and tears of the innocent. Denver's position at the intersection of two major interstate highways makes it a major hub for sex trafficking. Victims are found and made within a day or two of a teenager running away from home, or the moment a parent coerces their own child to perform sex acts for money, just this one time. They're hidden in plain sight, where hotels, massage businesses, even restaurants and nail salons serve as fronts for sex trafficking rings.

This week, Denver District Attorney Mitch Morrissey returns to Connect & Collaborate to discuss the troubling problem of sex trafficking, the challenges of prosecuting the criminals and assisting the victims. He introduces us to Becky Bullard, Project Director for the Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA) who explains the complications of removing victims from their captors and exploiters.

It's an uncomfortable topic, for certain. We at ICOSA hope that by listening to this interview, our audience will be better able to identify these kinds of situations, and report suspicious circumstances to save a life or simply release a child from this horror. DATA does not suggest any citizen take these situations into their own hands, or confront the abusers. If you see something suspicious, contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Training is available for businesses and organizations that may confront the effects of trafficking, such as school teachers, truck drivers, or anyone who works with children. To request training, go to www.DenverAlliance.org and click on Resources.

We thank you for taking this information seriously, and for your heart to make our community safer for everyone.

To learn more, listen Saturday at 1:00PM on KNUS 710 –  Please let us know what you think of our program, either by commenting here or on Facebook at Connect & Collaborate with ICOSA or join the discussion on Twitter @ICOSAMagazine.