On the roadway, eliminating human error can save lives. But if America fully automates its trucking industry, what will the economic ripple effect look like?
The inevitability of self-driving trucks isn’t up for debate, according to a recent article in Futurism. Large trucks kill thousands of people yearly, and Google has already designed a self-driving car that’s developing a driving record that will soon surpass that of the average American. Additionally, the first self-driving truck began spinning its wheels on public roads in Nevada in 2015.
But as exciting as the technological development is, science fiction-turned-reality on American roadways has more than a few sinister implications. Foremost among them is the impact to the economy: what will happen when the most popular job for people in most of the U.S. begins to be scaled back or eventually eliminated? And, what will happen to America’s small towns that rely entirely on the rise and fall of the trucking industry?
Take a look at the first licensed self-driving truck below, and explore the complexities of the issue here.
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