Automated Vehicles: A Brighter Future for Trucking
Self-driving vehicles traveled approximately 4 million miles in California in 2021, double the previous year's total, with the trucking industry well-placed to benefit from autonomous vehicle technology. The push for AV solutions in road haulage is primarily about safety, with AV technology having the potential to address driver error-related accidents that cause fatalities. AVs also offer benefits such as easing the labor shortage, increasing efficiency, and addressing industry pain points like congestion, parking, and road safety.
Mazen Danaf, Senior Applied Scientist & Economist at Uber Freight, recently authored a paper called 'The future of self-driving technology in trucking,' showing why trucking is the fastest route to commercializing and scaling self-driving technology. Danaf also outlined an AV hub-to-hub model that will allow autonomous trucks (ATs) to operate alongside those driven by people, which will benefit carriers, drivers, and AV developers, offer drivers better working conditions, and satisfy growing demand. Sanaf expects autonomous trucking to expand gradually throughout the US interstate system, with weather, regulations, and autonomy capabilities dictating the lanes on which ATs will operate.
The growing need to modernize truck yards in line with warehouse and transport digitalization is fueling the adoption of established supply chain technologies to enhance asset tracking, allocation, and optimization within these yards.