Automated Driving Technology to Have Significant Impact on Trucking Industry
Automated driving technology is anticipated to have a widespread impact on the trucking industry, including decreased shipping costs and greater efficiency. As high as seventy-five percent of truck based shipping costs are labor related; by removing the human component from trucking, labor costs are expected to drop significantly. In addition, human drivers are restricted in the number of hours they can be on the road; autonomous driving will dramatically increase the time that vehicles can operate. Recently, a convoy of self-driving trucks successfully drove across Europe to the Port of Rotterdam, illustrating the viability of the technology. Although the technology may have many positive impacts on the industry, push back may come from existing workers in the industry faced with reduced job prospects. In the United States alone, 1.6 million people work as truck drivers.
