Automation in the long haul: Challenges and opportunities of autonomous heavy duty trucking in the United States
International Council on Clean Transportation, March 26, 2018
The implications of autonomous trucking are broad and extend beyond the trucking sector to include infrastructure, urban planning, cyber security, privacy, and insurance. Within the freight trucking sector, many see a future where the technology dramatically alters the truck driver’s responsibilities and may eventually eliminate the need for a driver. Several industry groups envision autonomous vehicle technology as an attractive return on investment, with potentially large economic benefits. However, the extent of these benefits is generally unknown to date, and there are also risks and drawbacks to adoption of autonomous trucking.