Despite concerns that a rise in automated vehicles (AVs) will displace significant numbers of truck drivers in the United States, only a modest number of truck driver jobs, if any, will be affected, according to a new report commissioned by the American Center for Mobility (ACM), led by Michigan State University (MSU) and supported by Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI).
However, while significant numbers of AVs will not be deployed until the latter half of the 2020s, at that point, some displacement of passenger car-based driving jobs could occur, mainly among taxicab drivers, according to researchers.
Due to existing truck driver worker shortages, and the belief that automated technology will largely support truck drivers instead of replacing them, truck drivers are not likely to be displaced in large numbers during the next ten years that the study covered. Also, limousine and bus/transit drivers who are executing services that necessitate face-to-face interaction or passenger assistance, such as luxury services and paratransit, are less likely to be displaced by automated vehicles in the foreseeable future, the report found. These drivers will likely undergo training to learn how to use the new supportive technology.