Driver-less Trucks And The Future Of Trucking

What are you guys thoughts about driverless trucks? Is the trucking industry still good to get into right now?

Depends on who you talk to. There are those that say we won't see driverless trucks as a norm in our lifetime, but from what I've been hearing on road dog trucking, it's going to be a lot sooner than people think, as in, just a few years.

Personally, I think it will be awhile before AI totally replaces human drivers, however, I feel that autonomous trucks will supplement the trucking industry to help ease the driver shortage, in the near term, and eventually replace humans in the long term.

Just like autopilots in aircraft a driver will have to be on standby in case of emergencies and handle the tasks AI can't handle. Aircraft have had autopilot for years. You do not here talk of commercial aircraft without pilots.

What are you guys thoughts about driverless trucks? Is the trucking industry still good to get into right now?

I don't think about it. Yes it's a good time to enter the industry.

The trucking industry is excellent to get into right now......and five years ago....and 10 and 20. And it will be for many years to come.

I personally think the whole "driverless truck" thing is really nothing more than a lot of people looking for either a good storyline, research funding, or to sell products or services of some sort. As a computer programmer myself, I don't think the idea of letting trucks drive themselves within our current infrastructure is reasonable nor feasible. Maybe for some stretches of pure Interstate it can manage to stay in the lane and avoid running into the back of someone, most of the time, anyhow. But this pipe dream of having vehicles drive themselves without drivers full time is absurd, quite honestly.

Here is what I think is the future of transportation and shipping:

Programming drones to fly on "sky highways" to accomplish tasks is simple. Already being done by millions of people in millions of ways. This is a very reasonable, logical, and rather easily achievable. It also helps solve the problem of congestion on the highways instead of contributing to it. And of course they'll run on electric so there are no emissions. I could go on all day.

Driverless vehicles are coming, but not on the roads. In our lifetime you're going to get same day package delivery by drone and you'll call for a sky taxi to take you somewhere the same way you call for a ground taxi today.

Im anxious to get into the industry...but i was making sure its going to still be a good industry until i retire in about 37 years lol

The trucking industry is excellent to get into right now......and five years ago....and 10 and 20. And it will be for many years to come.

I personally think the whole "driverless truck" thing is really nothing more than a lot of people looking for either a good storyline, research funding, or to sell products or services of some sort. As a computer programmer myself, I don't think the idea of letting trucks drive themselves within our current infrastructure is reasonable nor feasible. Maybe for some stretches of pure Interstate it can manage to stay in the lane and avoid running into the back of someone, most of the time, anyhow. But this pipe dream of having vehicles drive themselves without drivers full time is absurd, quite honestly.

Here is what I think is the future of transportation and shipping:

Programming drones to fly on "sky highways" to accomplish tasks is simple. Already being done by millions of people in millions of ways. This is a very reasonable, logical, and rather easily achievable. It also helps solve the problem of congestion on the highways instead of contributing to it. And of course they'll run on electric so there are no emissions. I could go on all day.

Driverless vehicles are coming, but not on the roads. In our lifetime you're going to get same day package delivery by drone and you'll call for a sky taxi to take you somewhere the same way you call for a ground taxi today.

The liability in trucking is so high that I don't see companies falling all over it.... in my industry we just imaging someone hacking into the control system of one of those,,.... Think about it

Yea, you're right. I dont think I would trust being on the road with a driverless truck.

The liability in trucking is so high that I don't see companies falling all over it.... in my industry we just imaging someone hacking into the control system of one of those,,.... Think about it

I was wondering the same thing as the person who started this thread... I'm almost old enough to drive OTR and I don't want to be out of work by the time I'm 35.