At TQM Logistics, we don’t just provide CDL driver jobs in PA and throughout the entire country. We’re also your go-to source for information, resources, and news regarding the trucking industry. In our last blog, we investigated self-driving truck technology and examined some of the reasons that commercial drivers don’t need to worry about being replaced by automated trucks. Let’s continue and see how self-driving technology will impact our jobs and what it will mean for our industry. 

Self-Driving Trucks Will Still Require a Driver

In terms of the self-driving trucks currently being tested, they aren’t fully autonomous. While they may stay in their own lanes and maintain a consistent speed, they’ll still require someone to be in the cab. These vehicles will need drivers who can understand the technology, monitors the controls, and give the truck the input to get off and on the highways. Additionally, drivers will likely have to take over the controls manually to navigate around busy city streets, through construction areas, and in poor weather conditions. 

In fact, self-driving technology has even been predicted to make truck drivers’ lives easier and improve the quality of their jobs. Many industry experts have compared autonomous technology to the way commercial airplanes adopted the autopilot feature. Not only did this help pilots fly safer, but the technology allowed them to better perform their jobs — instead of replacing them.

There’s No Shortage of Freight to Be Moved

According to American Trucking Associations, the trucking industry is predicted to be responsible for moving over 20 billion tons of freight by the year 2028. Clearly, there’s no shortage of work that needs to be done. And not only that, but there are 200,000+ trucking companies in the U.S., with millions of trucks on the road. So, even when self-driving technology is available, it will take automated trucks much longer to fully permeate such a complicated and massive industry like ours. 

The bottom line? Commercial truck drivers don’t need to fear for their job or that artificial intelligence and self-driving trucks will replace them. In fact, automated technology should be welcomed, learned, and understood by drivers. Not only can automated trucks make our jobs more productive, safe, and efficient, but it can also work to enhance our quality of life on the road.

For more information on self-driving trucks, or to search for CDL driver jobs in MD, contact us today.