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The logistics industry is going through profound changes with
digitilisation and other technological advances that have the
potential to decrease substantially the cost of transporting goods
over land. Although autonomous passenger cars are receiving the
most attention, autonomous technology is expected to have a greater
impact on the global trucking and logistics industry. Autonomous
trucks are gaining a great deal of traction in the transportation
industries because of a growing shortage of drivers, improved
efficiency, and increased safety.
- A truck driver shortage is adding to global supply chain
challenges, preventing the trucking sector from fulfilling the
increased demand driven by a boom in e-commerce. In the US,
according to an October 2021 estimate by the American Trucking
Associations, the shortage of truck drivers was at an all-time high
of 80,000. The shortfall might increase to more than 160,000
drivers by 2030, according to the industry body, due to an ageing
workforce and an expected freight increase. - Another huge challenge in the logistics industry is
underutilisation and inefficient load procurement; hence, these
trucks will enable autonomous loading and unloading of containers
in yards and ports, resulting in increased efficiency. The low
utilisation rates not only reduce the efficiency of operations and
distribution for the rest of the supply chain, but also increase
the number of trucks on the road, resulting in increased greenhouse
gas emissions. - One of the most promising aspects of autonomous truck
technology is the potential to increase truck safety. Distracted
drivers and impaired driving are considered the biggest causes of
the increased number of fatalities, which autonomous trucking
technology is expected to solve as the systems provide a 360-degree
view of the surroundings, process more information, and react
faster compared with a human driver. - Technology companies have been conducting a variety of
autonomous truck pilots and currently these programmes deploy
trucks in limited areas where their movement is confined within
defined geographies. These pilots are undertaken with the
expectation of validating an AV system, starting with line-haul,
on-highway applications on simple interstate scenarios and in fair
weather conditions. Then, the aim is to expand the pilots to
more-challenging driving conditions, aimed at increasing the
adoption of automated features in trucks from Level 1 to fully
autonomous capabilities (Level 5). - As autonomous trucking becomes more popular, consumer
perceptions of autonomous technology’s safety will have an impact
on acceptance and adoption, acting as an accelerator or a
deterrent. A strategic plan to accelerate the development and
adoption of commercial AVs includes four dimensions: a legal
framework, new regulations, appropriate road infrastructure, and
collaboration with manufacturers.
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This article was published by S&P Global Mobility and not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.
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