If this were to come to pass, it would be a massive hit to the middle class. Truckers make up a HUGE part of the American middle class work force.
Also consider the economic impact to all of the gas stations and rest stops created primarily to service them, a huge amount of infrastructure exists to service truckers. That said, many could convert for autonomous service needs? I expect it to be a net loss for them also. RIP Loves?
And from a technical point of view, it’s a lesser challenge than generalized self-driving because point A and B are already known for each route, so more of the route could be “hardcoded” (not actually hardcoded but I think you get the concept).
That said, I can’t predict the timeline of when this would be feasible, but when it happens I expect it will cause a lot of anger from truckers.
Anyway, the jist of my comment, this will route a substantial amount of middle class wages from the truckers to the truck owners, increasing inequality even further.
This is the biggest catalyst to sway the public toward a UBI than anything else I can imagine.
But on the flip side, you also have to consider how much cheaper, well, literally everything, will be when it doesn’t cost $30 an hour to move a product from one place to another?
Everything will cost so much less that Universal Basic Income wouldn’t need to be anywhere near as high as it is right now to be “living wage”.
Like it or not - self driving trucks are coming. We need to find a way to adjust to that. The timeline for when is probably not “when will the tech be ready” but rather “when will society be ready”. I’m pretty sure if you deployed self driving trucks today, pitchforks would come out and those trucks would be blocked by civil disobedience.
Slow it down too much though, and you’ll put your whole economy at a global disadvantage. A first would country could easily become a third world one by refusing to allow autonomous trucks. Autonomous trucks already exist and not just on pristine highways — for example they’re used on mine sites with no roads at all — https://thewest.com.au/business/mining/bhp-autonomous-trucks-collide-at-jimblebar-iron-ore-mine-in-pilbara-ng-b881139676z
Oh you sweet summer child. There is zero chance that the cost savings will be passed on to consumers. In fact, I’ll bet prices go up after an initial plateau.
At first, profits will rise due to the lack of $30/hr costs - and shareholders will celebrate the innovation.
Then when the migration to self-driving semis is complete and that profit levels out, shareholders will be pissed that the profits don’t continue to rise - so prices will rise again.
But on the flip side, you also have to consider how much cheaper, well, literally everything, will be
No, it is not true. Trucks are big. In total, transportation is dead cheap.
Remember when prices went down when self checkout became a thing everywhere?
I dont.
When has the price of anything ever come down?
I’ve been around for quite some time now, and I’ve seen things get pretty damn advanced, but not once have I EVER seen the prices of something go down.
But of course! Trickle down economy at work! /s
Those mining trucks don’t have to deal with Altimas.
It doesn’t cost much to have a driver as compared to the value amd volume of product. The expense is the fuel.
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I too have a bridge to sell you. You know it’s great because I’ve successfully sold the same one a thousand times for the past decade already!
This is a terrible idea.
Can’t wait to see these driverless trucks on an icy highway during a blinding snowstorm where a massive pile-up of vehicles has already occurred. /s
what happens when theres an emergency or a crash?
Until roadways are incredibly safe and cars are far more reliable it doesn’t make sense to allow driverless cars on the road. sure, right now these trucks are new and people are worried about selling more. But as soon as this is allowed the race to the bottom begins and you have a company operating a fleet of unmaintained driverless trucks.
How many people does Tesla’s “auto Pilot” needs to kill before tech bros realize hasting this isn’t gonna work?
You could only really have automated trucks if the roads used were prepared for that - and even then you’d have issues with edge-cases.
Trains anyone?
sounds like the movie Swordfish.
“how many innocent victims splattered across the wall does it take”
Will they use this new battery tech I heard about?
