Skip to main content

New research identifies impact of autonomous vehicles on trucking industry

A new report from the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) identifies the potential impacts of autonomous vehicle technology on the trucking industry, which include significant safety and productivity benefits that may result from autonomous technology adoption. The analysis mapped potential autonomous vehicle impacts to the trucking industry's top ten issues as surveyed annually by ATRI. From hours-of-service to the driver shortage to driver health and wellness, benefits and challenges to co
November 16, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A new report from the 5478 American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) identifies the potential impacts of autonomous vehicle technology on the trucking industry, which include significant safety and productivity benefits that may result from autonomous technology adoption.  

The analysis mapped potential autonomous vehicle impacts to the trucking industry's top ten issues as surveyed annually by ATRI.  From hours-of-service to the driver shortage to driver health and wellness, benefits and challenges to commercial drivers and motor carriers were identified across the top ten issues.  For instance, ATRI identified numerous changes to the hours-of-service regulations and the ELD mandate that would allow commercial drivers to improve safety and productivity through autonomous vehicle operation.  

These improvements, however, will require federal leadership and significant input from the trucking industry.  ATRI's research also documents a number of potential public sector impediments to autonomous truck deployment including poor infrastructure quality, uncertainties related to tort law, and the possible need for federal pre-emption.

"ATRI's research underscores how critical it is that the trucking industry has a seat at the table as autonomous vehicle issues are debated," said Chris Spear, president and CEO of the American Trucking Associations. "These impacts will be real and have significant consequences for the entire supply chain if they are not deliberately and thoughtfully approached with input from all stakeholders.  Now is the time to make sure that autonomous vehicle technology is a win-win for the economy."

Related Content

  • March 31, 2021
    Digital Transformation is the way to comprehensive transportation 
    Transportation worldwide needs to keep up with a variety of challenges: Frederic Giron of Forrester Consulting explains how digital technologies will be the key to making the necessary changes...
  • July 18, 2012
    Priority for safety and interoperability, need for DSRC
    Justin McNew, Chief Technology Officer, Kapsch TrafficCom Inc., USA offers his opinion of where 5.9GHz DSRC technology will head in the coming years. The debate ranges back and forth over the most suitable technological solution for future tolling and charging in the US. However, the coming trend is common cooperative infrastructure: instrumented roads and vehicles with the capacity to communicate with each other over all manner of safety, mobility and traveller applications, many of which will involve fina
  • June 11, 2015
    Bigger role for data protection and privacy policies in transportation
    Dr Caitlin Cottrill, lecturer at the University of Aberdeen’s School of Geosciences, examines the impact of privacy legislation on the transportation sector. Growing reliance on big data, underscored by the increasing ubiquity of smart infrastructure and the ‘Internet of Things’, has profoundly impacted the regulatory environment experienced by transportation professionals. This is particularly the case in relation to the privacy of personally identifying information (PII). There has been increased attenti
  • May 29, 2015
    Big data and self-driving cars: New studies from ITF
    Two new reports launched by the International Transport Forum (ITF) during the Annual Summit of Transport Ministers in Leipzig, Germany, highlight issues for the transport sector: the use of big data and the trend towards automated cars. The ITF claims that failing to ensure strong privacy protection in the collection and processing of location data may result in a regulatory backlash against the technology, which could hamper innovation and limit the social and economic benefits the use of such data delive