{"id":1242,"date":"2016-05-31T17:17:07","date_gmt":"2016-05-31T17:17:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/?p=1242"},"modified":"2021-06-17T15:14:34","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T19:14:34","slug":"driverless-trucks-not-if-but-when","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.alltruckjobs.com\/blog\/driverless-trucks-not-if-but-when\/","title":{"rendered":"Driverless Trucks: Not If, But When?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
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We hear more and more about the future of self-driving vehicles. In just this month alone, Uber started officially testing a self-driving car<\/a> in Pittsburgh, and Google, who has been working on their self-driving cars since 2009, has paired up with Fiat\u2013Chrysler<\/a> for further self-driving car development. While the future of autonomous passenger vehicles is inevitable, there is another transportation innovation that is in the works: driverless trucks.<\/p>\n

Now there are companies like Otto<\/a>, founded by two former Google execs and a team from former Apple and Tesla employees, which are focusing on self-driving commercial trucks, rather than passenger vehicles. With this autonomous truck technology in the works, it is obvious that driverless trucks have the capacity to change how we move some 43 million tons of goods across the country daily. The question is no longer \u2018if\u2019 we can create self-driving trucks, but rather \u2018when\u2019 these trucks will be the norm.<\/p>\n

Benefits of Driverless Trucks<\/h2>\n

Currently, commercial trucks make up\u00a0just one percent of all traffic, but are responsible for 28 percent of road pollution, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation 2015 Annual Report<\/a>. Commercial trucks are also involved in a large number of accidents and fatalities each year. On top of that, there is a shortage of drivers, causing some companies to put young or inexperienced drivers behind the wheel before they are actually ready.<\/p>\n

Proponents of driverless trucks see how this technology can change the future in many ways. These trucks would greatly increase productivity\u00a0as there would be little\u00a0to no downtime. Drivers can currently only drive for a limit of 11 hours<\/a>. With about 4.3 million commercial trucks that would need to be\u00a0replaced or upgraded, it would revive U.S. manufacturing, creating thousands of jobs. Driverless trucks would reduce emissions and reduce deaths from traffic accidents because they would be safer drivers than humans.<\/p>\n

What some people seem to forget is that with this new technology, millions of U.S. drivers will put out of work.<\/p>\n

The human cost of self-driving trucks<\/h2>\n

With the introduction of driverless trucks, we will see millions of truck drivers lose their jobs, which will leave a large amount of unskilled workers that will be competing for fewer and fewer jobs.<\/p>\n

\"truck<\/a>

Millions of truck drivers will lose their jobs to self-driving commercial trucks. What does their future hold?<\/p><\/div>\n

The job loss wouldn\u2019t just stop with just the drivers. Automating trucks in this country will also cost jobs to the many people that work at the various truck stops and motels that rely on truckers. The healthcare providers, insurance agents, and lawyers that depend on truckers would also find themselves looking for a new job, perhaps in a totally different industry.<\/p>\n

Self-driving truck features<\/h2>\n

Mercedes-Benz Future Truck 2025<\/h3>\n