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>1.8 million American truck drivers ... well-paying working-class jobs Those two items right there are exactly why they are being automated (in addition to add
by MrFoof 10y ago
>1.8 million American truck drivers ... well-paying working-class jobs
Those two items right there are exactly why they are being automated (in addition to additional efficiencies and cost reductions). If companies can eliminate those costs, they will if there's a way to do so. That is the unfortunate reality.
What to do about the aftermath that affects actual people and families as pay is reduced or eventually eliminated over the next 10-25 years? Well, that's the new problem. Not one that the companies that employ truck drivers will be looking to solve, but the one everyone else has to cope with in some capacity -- whether directly affected by the reduced jobs, or indirectly affected by those now looking for work in their community.
- Osiris 10y agoOur education system needs to adjust to prepare our youth for highly technical jobs. Instead of truck drivers we'll need engineers to build the automation systems and programmers to write the complex software behind it.
- tormeh 10y agoIntelligence isn't equally handed out. Especially the analytical kind required of engineers/programmers. Not everyone can do those jobs. As the market price for the truck-driver demographic declines, new sectors will be able to afford to hire them, but they largely won't become engineers.
- aylons 10y agoEconomically, the main advantage of automating is paying less for the same. So, if there were the same need for engineers than for truck drivers, even in aggregate, automation would be a lot less compelling. Putting it more straightforwardly:100 engineers in California can automate several hundred thousands of jobs in the whole country.
- PeterisP 10y agoThere is no economic reason to automate things in order to replace 1.8 million drivers with 1.8 million engineers. Automation happens when you can replace 1.8 million drivers with 0.18 million engineers.
- lkbm 10y agoExcept the extra 1.62 million engineers can be working on other things. There's no shortage of useful things to build. It might be hard to think of things for 1.62 million people to build, but the good news is you and I don't have to think of those things ourselves right now. Those 1.62 million people will be thinking about it too.
- douche 10y agoUnfortunately, highly technical jobs have a floor problem. It's sort of like the "You must be this tall to ride" signs at the amusement park, except its "You must be this smart to do this job effectively." Not everybody that can drive a truck or swing a chainsaw has the mental tools to handle the increased complexity.
- gwright 10y ago> If companies can eliminate those costs, they will if there's a way to do so. That is the unfortunate reality. I have a hard time accepting the reduction in the cost of production as "unfortunate reality". This process is a key element of economic development. Why, at this point in history, is it now 'unfortunate'? I think there are some very difficult challenges associated with the macro-trends in our global economic system but I'm pretty sure that viewing productivity increases as "unfortunate" isn't very helpful towards dealing with these challenges.