The idea that self-driving trucks will actually boost the number of driver jobs is not new to me. However, the recent cross-country trip by self-driving truck startup Embark got me thinking about it.
The Embark drive was only a Level 2 endeavor, and it seems like there were multiple disengagements, but the days of Level 4 trucking on the highway seem near.
Embark’s model is to have autonomous vehicles drive from hub-to-hub on the highways, and human drivers handle the last mile deliveries.
“The autonomous trucks would haul trailers from hub to hub on the freeway, but local drivers would continue to handle the more complex driving tasks associated with the beginning and end of each trip — from origin to highway and from highway to final destination.”
It’s at least plausible that this would result in a net increase in driving jobs, if long-haul costs dropped so dramatically that interstate commerce surges.
David Silver 