Self-Driving Trucks: The Future of Highway Freight

2 months ago
4Minutes

By Ahsan Ali

Is the future of trucking self-driving big rigs? Companies in Texas are already testing huge autonomous trucks on major highways, hoping these vehicles can eventually take over at least some routes now handled by human drivers.

AI has many workers wondering if technology will replace their jobs. Truck drivers have been asking that question for years. Yesterday, we discussed technology that makes big rigs easier to handle. Today, we’re examining the other side: Could technology eventually replace human drivers completely? NPR’s Camila Domonoske took a ride through Texas in a truck with no human at the wheel.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE: We’re bumping along the highway heading south from Dallas. AJ has his hands resting on his legs. Actually, now he has them behind his head.

(LAUGHTER)

DOMONOSKE: The steering wheel keeps making tiny movements all on its own.

I’m sitting in the cab of an 18-wheeler built by Aurora Tech. And AJ is a longtime truck driver, AJ Jenkins.

AJ JENKINS: Oh, I love driving. I really do.

DOMONOSKE: But today, his feet aren’t on the pedals, and his hands aren’t anywhere near the wheel. The truck is driving itself. Jenkins used to be a driving instructor, and in a way, he helped teach this truck how to drive. The computer learned by watching him and other drivers on the road. Their driving patterns helped build the system Aurora calls the Aurora Driver.

JENKINS: They took logs of me driving, and other drivers as well, and taught the Aurora Driver through simulation with our manual data.

DOMONOSKE: Now things have flipped. The computer drives, and Jenkins watches. His official job title is observer. I expected the cab to be filled with screens showing camera and radar views, but there aren’t any. The truck isn’t designed for a person to sit inside long-term.

(SOUNDBITE OF BLINKER CLICKING)

DOMONOSKE: The truck turned on its blinker.

JENKINS: We just moved into the left lane to give space to these cars merging.

DOMONOSKE: The truck made room for another driver.

JENKINS: We try to be the most courteous truck on the road.

DOMONOSKE: Aurora is one of several companies racing to make money from driverless trucking. Texas is the center of their testing. Aurora is already delivering real cargo on Texas highways, including flooring, drinks, and packages. Most drivers passing by likely don’t notice the extra cameras or the word “autonomous” printed on the side.

JENKINS: It’s just another truck.

DOMONOSKE: Still, with self-driving trucks moving fast along busy highways, people naturally have questions about safety. Many truckers do.

AARON ISAACS: Computers don’t work all the time. No technology works perfectly every single day.

DOMONOSKE: That’s Aaron Isaacs from the Teamsters union.

ISAACS: They can’t even make cellphones that don’t lose coverage every 20 miles down the freeway.

DOMONOSKE: Aurora president Ossa Fisher says the trucks are safer than human drivers because of backup systems and huge amounts of testing both on roads and in simulations.

OSSA FISHER: We’ve tested everything possible that could go wrong with the truck or the environment around it.

DOMONOSKE: For truckers like Isaacs, safety isn’t the only concern. Jobs are a huge worry.

ISAACS: When you take drivers out of trucks, you take food off people’s tables. You take the braces out of a kid’s mouth.

DOMONOSKE: Fisher disagrees. She says companies already struggle to hire enough drivers.

FISHER: If you’re a truck driver today, your skills will be in demand until the day you choose to retire.

DOMONOSKE: Right now, Aurora is focused on long highway routes, which are easier for automation and benefit from a driver that never needs sleep. But I asked Fisher how much of trucking could eventually be automated. Maybe even all of it?

FISHER: Certainly, over the course of civilization, vehicles like this will be fully autonomous. And we’ll be grateful that they are.

DOMONOSKE: But when exactly in the “course of civilization” will that be? She wouldn’t say.

Author Profile

Ahsan Ali

Ahsan Ali is a technology and business journalist who covers the latest developments in autonomous vehicles and innovative startups.

With a sharp eye for industry trends, he breaks down complex tech stories into clear, engaging insights for general readers.