The driverless truck is coming, and it’s going to automate millions of jobs

1.6 million drivers? Must have lost a lot of drivers over the years?

 

Theoretically it should be a ton easier to make airplanes 100% automated or remote controlled, yet somehow most of them are still manned and I don't hear of any giant push to rid the industry of commercial airline pilots.

While were dreaming about efficiency, why don't we just scrap the trucks and the roads they drive on altogether in favor of Star Trek style transporters or replicators? No need to physically move anything anywhere over long distances, including your own body! (Cars and airplanes would be obsolete too.) That technology is probably realistic within the next couple hundred years, but wont be putting anybody out of a job any time too soon.

But in all seriousness I don't see driverless trucks putting significant amounts of people out of work for at least a couple of decades. The technology is still in it's infancy even at the automotive level and I see a ton of details they'd have to sort through and a long time before the price came down to where it made economic sense. When Wal-Mart lays off all their OTR drivers in favor of automated trucks ill sit up and take notice.

 

I watch calligraphy over on the Twitter, it looks so easy...

 

He's an automated poster.

 

Ok thats funny right there.

 

90% of you reading this will be retired long before driverless trucks hit the road here.

 

Right, umm, scales, fueling, blow tires at 70 clicks with 40 tons on, car drivers, snow, road construction, police action, flag men, unmarked roads, bad addresses, weight restrictions, and on and on the list of problems that automated trucks couldn't handle.

 

why aren't the robots driving trains yet?

 

Well.....I'm a steering wheel holder AND I have nice handwriting....maybe I could be the dude with the big red button that controls these newfangled self driving truck thigamajigs

 

Wouldn't that make you a professional automated systems technician?