This past April, a platoon of automated trucks successfully completed a transcontinental trip across Europe for the first time. The trip raised the important question: What does a successful run for automated trucks mean for CDL trucking jobs?
It is important to note that automated trucking as an everyday reality will be a long ways off in the future.
That said, an article in Motor Trend magazine says the transcontinental trip by six platoons of automated trucks doesn’t bode well for CDL driver jobs long term. Motor Trend wrote:
The experiment included in the European Truck Platooning Challenge, a program devised to advance autonomous trucking in Europe. The accomplishment shows the viability of automated trucks, and a new report from TechCrunch sheds light on how the technology will dramatically change the trucking industry.
Currently, it costs around $4,500 to ship a full truckload from L.A. to New York. Labor makes up 75 percent of that cost, according to TechCrunch, meaning a lot of that money would be saved if we moved to driverless trucks. In addition to saving labor costs, autonomous trucks would also significantly boost efficiency. Drivers are required by law to take an 8-hour break after driving 11 hours, but an autonomous truck could drive nearly 24 hours straight.
Also, a computer regulates speed, perhaps boosting fuel efficiency.
The article says that savings trickle down to consumers, reducing the cost of shipped goods overall.
Yet with millions of people holding CDL trucking jobs in America, truckers hold the most common job in 29 states. It added another harrowing employment statistic as well.
If self-driving trucks replace those jobs, it means 1% of the U.S. workforce face unemployment. But, the ripple effects could devastate the American highway as we know it. Truck stops, motels, gas stations, and other businesses struggle to stay open without a steady flow of truckers.
Regulation remains the biggest hurdle for autonomous trucks, adding to the negative impact automated trucking would have on the U.S. economy might not be worth the savings.
A price-performance increase of 400% is hard to ignore. But, can we afford to displace more than a million jobs?
Want to find a job you love?
Drive My Way matches drivers with jobs based on their qualifications and lifestyle preferences.
