This is a truck-centered discussion, but, if one were to think a lot more broadly, then, imagine the effect to many other parts of the economy if all vehicles were to become autonomous. So, we’d have cars and trucks and SUVs and minivans and RVs, all driving themselves.
It would be just truck drivers. Taxi drivers would also be out of jobs. Heck, insurance companies would have millions fewer clients, and so, we’d lose a lot of insurance agents and agencies. We’d also lose a lot of traffic cops and ‘meter-maids’ and highway patrolmen, and we’d end up with a lot fewer lawyers and ambulance chasers, and a lot fewer people in courts because there would be no need for handling traffic violations/tickets. We’d end up with vehicle makers having to insure the vehicles they sell, rather than the owners, and in fact, there would be no need for ownership. We’d end up with fewer parking lots and tiny parking garages at airports and shopping centers. We might even end up with houses being built with no garages or driveways. We could end up with no mailmen (finally, a solution to the Post Office always operation in huge deficits).
We could end up with no repair bills or maintenance bills for our vehicles.
Hmmm....
Bring on the autonomous vehicles. NOW!!!
Interesting thoughts. You might be right. We could just use something like the Uber app to request an autonomous car when needed. It becomes an on-request chauffeur. I own a car, but only drive it a few times on the weekend. If such vehicles existed would I need my own car? Likely not.