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The book The Box talks about longshoremen unions fighting the age of shipping containers and the unemployment it caused by eliminating the need for manually pac
by dharmon 10y ago
The book The Box talks about longshoremen unions fighting the age of shipping containers and the unemployment it caused by eliminating the need for manually packing ships.
The solution that worked best were unions that accepted this path was inevitable, and instead of insisting on setting fire to the ship, negotiated transition payments for soon-to-be unemployed longshoremen. Essentially phasing out their jobs, giving them time to find other jobs or what-have-you.
The worst outcomes were ports that refused to accept the inevitable and doomed not only their entire union, but often the entire port industry for their town. For example, New York refusing to play ball, giving rise to New Jersey as a replacement port.
- acidburnNSA 10y agoI like it. For self-driving trucks, someone suggested to me once that we could give all the truck drivers promotions to "logistics supervisors." They ride along and do paperwork and the trucking companies stop hiring for that position. I just feel like it's more likely that the trucking companies see that they can save money by firing them and tell them goodbye.
- kevin_thibedeau 10y agoThey will always need drivers just to stave off banditry and handle emergencies. What is likely is a single manned truck leading small convoys of automated machines.
- xauronx 10y agoWhat if we did something clever to keep them all in a row, almost like tracks of some sort? /s
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- morgante 10y ago> They will always need drivers just to stave off banditry This is an argument I have never understood. Do you really think the only thing preventing highway robbers is a driver? If anything, self-driving trucks would likely be able to respond more effectively as they can call police without fearing for their lives.
- dmoo 10y agoIs there then a question about how high a priority this robbery will be for the police since no life is in danger? Perhaps trucking companies will have to hire security guards instead of drivers...
- armenarmen 10y agoI've never heard the banditry argument. But it makes sense. Assuming that some variety of Asimov's laws will apply to self driving trucks they won't be able to defend their cargo (beyond locking and calling for help) it makes sense that there would be some sort of security detail. I wonder if, in the style of Ned Lud, if the robbers will in part be the same displaced truck drivers?
- zigzigzag 10y agoIt doesn't really make sense. Banditry requires someone to threaten. If there's no driver and the machine is locked in transit anyway, then all you need are doors where time to cut them open is greater than time for police to arrive and banditry doesn't make sense. Without people you can also do tricks like electrifying the chassis, so anyone who tries to touch it gets an electric shock.
- lgieron 10y ago> Without people you can also do tricks like electrifying the chassis, so anyone who tries to touch it gets an electric shock. Or a computer vision system connected to a machine gun. (sarcasm)
- JoeAltmaier 10y agoYeah I don't think the average taxi driver is some bandit-fighting hero that will save you. Likely they'll raise their hands and hand over their wallet too.