Self-driving, driverless, autonomous trucks were until recently considered something out of science fiction. However, after years of investment, development work, and testing in parking lots and on roads, this new reality is no longer on the horizon, but within reach.
The best technology specialists, truck manufacturers, and the largest transportation companies are currently working to overcome significant technical challenges and resolve many operational issues to enable the delivery of goods by unmanned trucks. As of today, such operations would take place on interstate highways, fixed routes, and under specific working conditions.
Promoters of this new technology argue that autonomous trucks can bring significant efficiency and productivity gains while improving road safety.
To pave the way for this vision, several technology developers are already working with carriers, shippers, logistics providers, and using autonomous trucks to transport cargo on public roads.
In these initial phases, despite the fact that the truck moves independently, for safety reasons, a professional driver still assists behind the wheel, and an operations specialist usually observes from the passenger seat.
The obvious goal that developers are striving for is to enable unmanned truck operation in the coming years.
Because autonomous trucks will only operate on certain routes and under specific conditions, the trucking industry will continue to rely primarily on professional CDL drivers. Robot trucks will likely first take over the most difficult part of the job for professional drivers, namely long-distance, interstate routes, which will mainly run on highways. In reality, the transportation industry will need to recruit more drivers, not fewer, as the amount of cargo will increase over time. For pessimists who predict that the truck driver profession will quickly become a thing of the past, we suggest taking a trip around the suburbs of Chicago. The amount of newly built warehouses is staggering. And someone will have to service this new infrastructure.
Currently, companies “employing” and experimenting with autonomous trucks operate mainly in the US Sunbelt region, particularly in the southwestern states such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico, where ideal weather conditions prevail and favorable laws allow for such testing and development. The ambitions of these companies extend far into the future, and some of them already have planned routes for their autonomous trucks running on highway networks across the United States.
The truck driver profession, like any other profession, will undergo continuous evaluation and change, and autonomous vehicles will rather be a complement and well-deserved help in performing this demanding job.
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