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In November Tesla rolled out the world’s first fully electric, semiautonomous semi-truck.  They claim it can go 500 miles between charges, hauling 80,000 pounds. It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but they are scheduled to go into production in 2019. What does this mean for the future of the trucking industry?

For starters, these new trucks aren’t going to be 100% able to drive themselves, at least anytime soon. There are many ideas about how the technology will be used, but luckily for the nation’s nearly 3 million drivers, all of them include the human element in some respect.

One developer envisions platooning trucks that travel in packs and communicate with each other via radio waves. Each truck would have a driver, but only the driver of the lead truck would need to be sitting behind the wheel. This would give the other drivers the opportunity to complete other tasks, such as paperwork.

In a second developer’s vision, he compares drivers to tug boat captains. They would wait for the self-driving trucks at the exit ramp of a highway, then drive them the rest of the way to their destination. This would eliminate the need for a driverless truck to navigate in cities or other congested areas.

Another plan would allow drivers to operate trucks from behind a computer screen in a call center type office. They would use a joystick to navigate trucks through difficult stretches, such as construction zones. Using this method, one driver might be able to handle up to 30 trucks in an 8-hour shift.

Concerns have been voiced regarding the possibility of increased working hours and lower wages if this technology becomes the standard, but it seems we have a lot more questions than answers on its impact. One thing remains the same however, if we don’t have transportation, we don’t have an economy. As with any industry, the rules and practices are ever changing. It will be exciting to see the full impact of this emerging technology as it unfolds.