Quote Originally Posted by FPS_Russia View Post
Quote Originally Posted by MumblesBadly View Post

So, the computer in the truck is going to get out and...
(1) Visually inspect the rig for maintenance issues before getting on the road,
(2) Fuel vehicles at truck stops,
(3) Check in with the shipper, frequently at windows that are down little maze-like hallways.
(4) Set load locks to secure load if needed,
(5) Adjust the position of the tandems to balance the load (and often on trailers that are sometimes quite troublesome to work with,
(6) Adjust route driven when GPS-given route doesn't account for changes to road conditions and restrictions,
(7) Check in with receiver (like (2))
(8) After getting unloaded, sweep/clean trailer for next load (sometimes needing to washed out at special facilities, many that are local and not in a national database),
(9) Inspect the rig for maintenance issues at the end of trip (or at end of each day), or
(10) Think outside the box to solve any number of unexpected obstacles encountered on a trip.

Yup. All those trucking driving jobs will be gone real soon!
You may be safe but I can't say same about your kids or grand kids generation. I don't think this is going to be one of futuristic technologies that never catches on. It's coming, how soon is the question. On avg, how long or how many miles do trucking companies put on the trucks before they replace them with new ones? How many miles on your rig? Those fuckin diesels last hella miles.

There will be some trucking services type companies pop up to handle the pre and post trip labor. The gas stations will accommodate driver-less refueling. The long point a to b drive will be driver-less sooner than you think. That's my guess.
What you wrote here speaks of how the new tech would change the nature of the jobs in the industry. Because there are so many facilities that ship and receive freight, AND carriers aren't likely to not have a human accompany the freight caravan (to reduce risk of cargo theft), it is likely that the same number of people will be working in the logistics business, but the commercial vehicle accident rates and fuel economy will improve. And those last two issues are by themselves worth developing the tech.