Based on what we are seeing in the market, fully self-driving trucks are a long ways off, if they can ever be perfected at all. The reason for this delay is primarily due to the need to work out all of the edge cases in the program.

To elaborate a bit, most software relies on where road lines are and determining if an object is a car, or a person. Teaching a computer to recognize every obstacle in the road, especially on local routes with city streets, is a major problem.

In the meantime, trucks will continue developing automated technology, except with truckers behind the wheel.

This could make truck driving a career similar to flying an airplane. Despite the technology, the aviation industry never replaced pilots. Someone always needed to be in the cockpit for safety contingencies.

The Future of Trucking

The interesting paradox for trucking is that the unpredictable nature of long-haul driving is precisely what is going to keep the career around for many years to come! Technology just can’t be trusted when lives are at risk. Experienced drivers will always be able to tell the difference between a vehicle, a mail box, and a human. And they can make this distinction in less than a second.

Technology has even more problems in inclement weather. Sure, truck drivers have visibility problems, but they have years of familiarity with the road and the ability to take into account the context of events.

So when we see headlines about self-driving semi trucks out on the road,think of pilots. And the good news is that the self-driving functionality may actually improve the job for drivers themselves.

The Bright Future for Truck Drivers

Last month, a modified self-driving Peterbilt semi was taken out for a test drive along the tollways in Illinois. The driver, Krystian Gebis, was able to cruise along without having to hold the steering wheel. And although that sounds a bit scary, Gebis ensures doing so is safe.

According to Gebix, the founder of Autobon AI, “We want to make sure the truck isn’t weaving in the lane, and it maintains a safe following distance. We want to make sure it’s very precisely driving.” Which means someday soon, truckers may be able to safely use their hands for other tasks, such as working the Qualcomm or taking a safe sip of coffee.

Gebis underlined the importance of this technology to remove stress and fatigue from the driving job. Hands-off truck driving doesn’t mean you can look at your phone for the entire long haul, but it may reduce the tiring need for constant microadjustments with the steering wheel.

Additionally, it also seems that the software produced by Autobon AI does not allow a semi to change lanes on its own. And although this may not be universal amongst all autonomous trucks, it does reinforce the idea that truckers are going to be needed to guide these heavy machines to their destination for a long while.