For decades, the role of truckers hasn’t changed very much. He or she is still relied upon to drive long hours to deliver goods from one end of the country to the other. They are expected toperform their dangerous job safely while surviving on little sleep, eating on the run, and enduring lonely nights and daysuntil their payload reaches its final destination.
The introduction of the electric or hybrid semi hasn’t had aprofound effect on the trucker’s role, nor has the internet, GPS, or artificial intelligence. Despite the proliferation of high tech, the trucker’s role remains the same. To drive.
To honor these unsung heroes of the road who fill up our supermarket shelves during all sorts of weather and natural calamities, awards have been created to boost their spirit and morale. Says the pros at EDCO.COM, a company that designs and manufactures trucking awards, you can honor your company’s truckers by recognizing their achievements with semi-truck trophies, big rig plaques, and driver recognition awards. You can also show your appreciation with years of service crystals, truck driver retirement awards, safety driver plaques, and other custom acrylic trophies.
As a business owner, perhaps 2024 is the perfect time to award your truckers with morale-boosting awards when you consider that, for the first time in history, the role of the trucker is likely to change dramatically in the coming years. With the introduction of the self-driving or autonomous semi-truck, is it possible truckers won’t be relied upon as much, if at all, to do the driving?
According to a recent report by Technology, self-drivingvehicles are a good development for the shipping industry bothin the U.S. and the entire world, while they position themselves to take full advantage of the benefits of autonomous or AV technology. According to a report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), one of the crucial factors is the ability of autonomous vehicle providers and fleet operators to identify theoptimum routes for making dry trial runs. Eventually, they will use these same routes utilizing the AV tech exclusively.
AV Truck Safety
Naturally, safety is one of the major reasons fleet operators and the shipping industry are putting stock in AV trucks. Uber Freight recently reported that more than 5,000 lives were lost in semi-truck crashes in 2019, including nearly 1,000 truckers and their occupants. Approximately one-third of the accidents occurred on expressways, freeways, and interstates. These roadways are said to be perfect for “AV trucking solutions.”
Thirteen percent of the fatal crashes were said to be caused by environmental or vehicular factors, while the remaining 87 percent were the result of driver error, including poor performance, bad decisions, or failure to recognize obstacles in the road, including other vehicles (usually the result of falling asleep at the wheel).
Says a researcher from Uber Freight, AV tech, can potentially successfully address each of these dangerous safety concerns. Along with the research affiliate Intelligent Transportation Systems Lab at MIT, Uber Freight has studied AV transportation systems in detail. In turn, they have developed a network model along with simulation tools, which are aiding them in their safety research.
Uber Freight is said to envision a bright future where AV trucks and human truckers coexist on both local and long-haul routes. While big trucks will have the capability to self-drive, a human trucker will still be required to take his or her position behind the wheel in case of system malfunction or when a human driver makes more sense than the AV tech.
One thing is for certain: AV tech will result in fewer accidents and fatalities, which will create safer roads and better truck-driving jobs. This means goods will be more available and therefore more affordable for everyone.
Trucking is the Speediest Route to Commercialized AV Tech
Researchers are quick to point out that while AV science might seem like something out of science fiction, its role is to simplify the movement of products that make communities thrive. But while AV trucking is a welcome advancement in terms of safety and the increased deliverability of goods, it is still uncertain how truckers will be affected in the long term.
Ironically, many countries presently suffer from labor shortages,including qualified commercial truckers. New AV tech can help with alleviating the labor gap by providing new job opportunities. Younger people will be needed to work with the AV trucks. As a result, there is presently a growing demand for their talents.
In the end, it appears that AV trucks won’t replace truckers. It will, in fact, create new job opportunities in a safer, more efficient atmosphere.
