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.
