A global study by The IRU reveals what the industry feels on automation.<\/p>\n
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76% of global transportation companies expect driverless trucks to become viable soon.<\/p>\n
According to Business Insider<\/a>, a global study by The International Road Transport Union<\/a>\u00a0(IRU) revealed\u00a076% of global transportation companies expect driverless trucks to become viable for road transport within the next decade.<\/p>\n 29% of the same companies also expect autonomous trucks to be a realistic solution in the next five years.<\/p>\n Half of transport companies surveyed for the index said to believe that the primary benefit will be the productivity boost.<\/p>\n Autonomous trucks can increase output by removing the physical and regulatory constraints that come with long-haul trips \u2014 for example, U.S. truck drivers face limitations on the number hours they can drive in a given period for time. In the near future, driverless trucks could be used to complement these drivers, allowing them to switch to an autonomous mode once they hit labor limits.<\/p>\n Another benefit of this innovation can be in mitigating the industry’s labor shortages, which have been driving up costs.<\/p>\n The American Trucking Association<\/a> estimates that at the end of 2017, the U.S. trucking industry was short about 50,000 drivers, a gap that the organization projects will grow to 174,000 in 2026. The shortage has delayed shipments and driven up wages, ultimately eating into profit margins.<\/p>\n As autonomous\u00a0vehicle market aims to grow rapidly<\/a> in value from 2019 to 2026\u00a0until reaching a total of\u00a0$556.67 billion, tech giants from the U.S. and China have sparked a fight for the top, but U.K. companies are also having their say.<\/p>\n These are some<\/a> to keep an eye on:<\/p>\nUps or downs for the industry?<\/h2>\n
A growing market looking for top players<\/h2>\n
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