Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers

Autonomous driving is coming, however, there is sometime before error free driving will exist for normal cars. For big rigs, who have many variables which need to be looked after whilst in the road, whilst parking, whilst loading and unloading, routes, what your load is. It is the kind of job which will always require human supervision because you’re literally driving a tank down the road which also at times has hazardous material. Cars is one things, a semi is a whole different ball game

I will never feel comfortable driving around an autonomous 18 wheeler, think about the road & severe weather conditions, someone hijacking into the technology, or stealing cargo from the trailers, specialized trucking like flatbed, hazmat tanker, oversized, touch frieght, and who's going to do the pre trip & connect the air/electrical lines? And god forbid accidentally killing someone who will catch the manslaughter charge?

A robot cannot replace the instincts of human driving knowledge, especially during extreme weather conditions. I haven’t even begun to discuss pre trip inspections or backing and parking a trailer in a dock. This takes many years to master. This is not like driving a car. Robots will NEVER replace a human driver.

There are to many customer variables that make each delivery unique.

Already notice many self driving cars.
Many flat straight roads dont require turns will be first routes becoming ai driven. Pay rates are a lot for what we do already.

I don't think automation will be possible within 50 years for this type of work. Just think of the train that in the maximum line could also be automated immediately, but if you always try to have a train driver on board. Artificial intelligence is still too immature to be used in such a dangerous job. In conclusion, the truck driver is a job that is still too specialized and varied, to be robotic.

I just don't believe autonomous trucking could become a thing unless people were to give up their ability to drive themselves. If no one drove and it was just robots then it is a very plausible scenario. It would probably be safer and more efficient than if humans were driving the same trucks. The counter to that, I would say, is that it would only be that way if only robots were driving. This is because of human error, being impatient, not being a good driver, and driving under the influence. There are many factors to include when putting human drivers into the equation that cannot be calculated by a machine. Personally, I don't want to give up my own freedom to drive so companies could be slightly more efficient and I'm sure there are a lot of others who would feel similar.

Seems no one has visited this section in awhile. I think it's safe to say all previous comments and this assessment itself was based off over-hyped technology that has proven to be much more complicated than initially thought. The eventual automation of commercial drivers is probably high but still decades away with the current challenges.

It's going to be automated; it's not debatable. The question is, "How soon will it happen?" My guess is that it's going to take another 20 to 50 years before the technology is sophisticated enough to displace human beings. At that point, it'd no longer be an attractive or plausible occupation for most.

If you're in your 30s, you can likely still make an income from trucking, and you may even be able to ride it out until retirement. However, if you're the next generation of kids, probably not.

As a truck driver, I have mixed views on automated driving. I don't see any evidence that a truck could be 100% autonomous in my lifetime. There is so much more to trucking than just driving, a lot more.

Likely sooner. There are already semi trucks with AI learn cameras installed on them going around. Won't be shocked if it's sooner than a decade.

Bad news: Search for "This Year, Autonomous Trucks Will Take to the Road With No One on Board" Autonomous trucks are here! Expect to find a new career as early as 2024.

Still will need a person in truck. Robots will not fuel truck or complete a UsDot inspection. It also can not get and sign paperwork or know what loading/unloading door or dock is required.

Interfacing with the customer...a robot? The tractor's today are overweight with computer help and, create more of a problem. Just ask any truckdriver.

As a hgv driver I see how vehicles are evolving and I am also aware of how much money is being invested in automation with companies like Tesla

Companies will have to have a person in every tractor trailer to oversee fueling if it's long haul. Unless they have automated fuel stops all over the country. I say 50 years min for total automated trucking. I'll send my kids though IT school by then

I don't think so my job means a lot to me and it should not be automated I make a living for my family

I highly doubt the safety laws of the government will allow it. Even the bad rap Tesla is getting for serious accidents

No way. I'm all for automation in areas that are not life critical/life sensitive (stocking shelves, customer service, picking orders, cashiering, bookkeeping), but society is playing with fire here. There will be countless innocent deaths on the roads if this is adopted on a large scale. But hey, those lives are just cannon fodder/pawns in the game of industrial progress right? You watch the media spin automated trucking as immoral when the first lives lost are a group of high earning fund managers, lawyers, or IT managers.

Dedicated consistent routes will be possible but irregular long haul and in city jobs will take longer. Driving a truck and driving a car are totally different and I think people don't really understand how different they truly are.