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> Truck driving as an occupation would be pretty much extinct in next 20 years as self driving trucks I doubt it. Once off the highway trucks, given their size
by furgooswft13 8y ago
> Truck driving as an occupation would be pretty much extinct in next 20 years as self driving trucks
I doubt it. Once off the highway trucks, given their size and ungainliness, have to perform maneuvers and general rule breaking to get around that I doubt any computer would be able to manage safely in 50 years at the very least.
I've said before that self driving vehicles will be a great boon to truck drivers in the immediate future. It will allow them to relax, relatively, on the most tedious and mind numbing part of the job. Navigating small roads and loading/unloading cargo will still be a human job for awhile to come.
- Karishma1234 8y agoI used the term extinct in a sense that bank tellers are pretty much extinct today because % of transactions going through real human tellers is very low. Most people use ATMs and online banking. You correct to say that a lot of things about truck driving might not get 100% automated in next 20 years but many aspects will reducing the truck driver's salary and skill expectation. For example Wallmart or Amazon could build warehouses where trucks will be loaded and unloaded in 100% automatic fashion. For majority of the interstate driving trucks might simply go with minimal supervision and driver will have to take control only in 10% of total time. All this will make trucking less lucrative and less productive occupation. That is as good as extinction.
- dmortin 8y agoTruck drivers will still be needed off the highway, but their salaries will also be reduced if they have to drive, e.g., for only 10-20 percent of the way. They will only be helpers for the self driving truck, not the main drivers like today.