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.
