If you’re in Texas, don’t freak out if you start seeing vehicles with no drivers on the road, because fully autonomous trucks are set to hit the state’s highways in just a couple of days.
Driverless trucks have been a pipe dream for years, with companies promising an autonomous future that could change how the logistics industry does business forever. Progress has been slow, though, with very few fully autonomous trucks on the road in 2025.
That will no longer be the case in Texas, though, with Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation poised to send out completely driverless trucks very soon.
Completely Driverless Trucks Expected Soon on I-45 in Texas
Aurora Innovation officials announced this week that the company would be launching fully autonomous trucks on a 200-mile stretch of I-45 in Texas between Dallas and Houston.
The popular freight route will be graced with just one such truck to start, but Aurora Innovation plans to add more as time goes on.
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This is a big step for autonomous trucks, as the technology has almost exclusively been tested with backup drivers in the cab for safety. Now, these trucks will be entirely without passengers, potentially changing the way we haul altogether.
Why We Need Fully Autonomous Trucks
For most jobs, the fear of automation is very real. AI has shown that it can do a lot of tasks better than humans, which has many concerned about mass unemployment. When it comes to truckers, though, there isn’t much to worry about.
In fact, the reality is that there’s actually a pretty severe trucker shortage in the US that is only getting worse, which could have a severe impact on the already-fragile supply chain.
“Everybody is looking at the same economics. The federal government is saying we have to move 50% more freight by 2050, but there’s a shortage of drivers. How do I solve this puzzle with more freight to move and less drivers to do it?” – Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association to Axios
While fully autonomous trucks aren’t the only ways in which technology is being used to address the trucker shortage, it definitely has the potential to solve it more than most.
Owner Operator Backlash
Understandably, not everyone is excited about fully autonomous trucks hitting the road in Texas. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, for example, points to the lack of existing federal regulations on autonomous vehicles as evidence of the lack of safety provisions in place for this kind of decision.
“It’s absurd that AVs, which are unproven and unmanned, are given more latitude on American highways than professional drivers with years of experience like me are given.” – Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association
While autonomous trucks could alleviate the stress of the trucker shortage in 2025, the endgame is clear: This job can be done by robots. And with 3 million truckers employed in the US, it’s hard to say if the economy could handle that kind of job loss.
