Study Suggests Self-Driving Trucks Could Replace 500,000 U.S. Jobs
- 2 years ago
Study Suggests , Self-Driving Trucks, Could Replace 500,000 U.S. Jobs.
Automotive News reports that autonomous
driving engineers are focusing their efforts
on perfecting long-haul freight. .
Most interstate runs lack anything more
complex that slow curves or E-ZPass lanes. .
This means that those routes
pose less of a challenge for engineers. .
Automotive News reports that the most complex challenge relates to existing infrastructure. .
While self-driving trucks can easily navigate
interstates, even short trips outside of that
route present complicated challenges. .
A University of Michigan study
suggests setting up a split system. .
Human drivers handle the shorter more complicated
parts of pick-up and delivery, while autonomous vehicles
handle the long, monotonous part of the route. .
This system could replace
almost 90% of human driving
in U.S. long-haul trucking. .
That equals approximately 500,000 jobs. .
The focus on autonomous trucking comes
amid a driver shortage that has contributed
to the ongoing supply chain crisis. .
It is happening already,
but in a fairly limited way. , Parth Vaishnav, University of Michigan Climate and Energy
assistant professor and co-author of the study, via Automotive News.
Among several startups, San Diego-based TuSimple plans to start autonomous deliveries to large swaths of the U.S. by the end of 2023.
Automotive News reports that autonomous
driving engineers are focusing their efforts
on perfecting long-haul freight. .
Most interstate runs lack anything more
complex that slow curves or E-ZPass lanes. .
This means that those routes
pose less of a challenge for engineers. .
Automotive News reports that the most complex challenge relates to existing infrastructure. .
While self-driving trucks can easily navigate
interstates, even short trips outside of that
route present complicated challenges. .
A University of Michigan study
suggests setting up a split system. .
Human drivers handle the shorter more complicated
parts of pick-up and delivery, while autonomous vehicles
handle the long, monotonous part of the route. .
This system could replace
almost 90% of human driving
in U.S. long-haul trucking. .
That equals approximately 500,000 jobs. .
The focus on autonomous trucking comes
amid a driver shortage that has contributed
to the ongoing supply chain crisis. .
It is happening already,
but in a fairly limited way. , Parth Vaishnav, University of Michigan Climate and Energy
assistant professor and co-author of the study, via Automotive News.
Among several startups, San Diego-based TuSimple plans to start autonomous deliveries to large swaths of the U.S. by the end of 2023.