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PhilosophusFuturum t1_j30q3kd wrote

Yeah I would know I helped test a few (but not for Walmart). I think they’re looking really good so far. I do think they will compose the majority of newly sold lories by 2030. But the main issues facing them are legal liability, inflexibility for LTL roots or smaller roots. Load management, logistics, load accountability, highway robbery, etc.

I think a lot of these issues could be fixed with a person who rides the lorey and does these tasks. And that’s what Walmart and other companies who are testing these are doing. But we are still a few years off from this being a viable means to control the majority of the American trucking industry.

Don’t tell kids to become truckers though.

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Gotisdabest t1_j30uexe wrote

I do think legal liability will fade reasonably quickly once certain safety standards are met. Not that they won't still happen it'll just be far better for everyone involved to figure out a framework. Highway robbery is an issue but i also don't see it really blocking change since it's certainly not equal to the value of not hiring a driver. I have no knowledge of the logistics or load management but surely they too can be managed reasonably quickly with some traning.

I do value your experience on this topic and find your concerns legitmate, but i also think that the change will come far quicker than expected just because of lucrative it is for everyone, and how other countries adopting it would lead to a rush everywhere else to not miss out on the productivity boost. A dramatically reduced salary and benefits structure along with more extensive and flexible driving times is just too powerful to ignore once the tech is proven.

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