A new study from the American Centre for Mobility hits the brakes on the notion autonomous trucks will widely displace jobs across North America.
The study, commissioned by ACM and led by Michigan State University and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, concludes that automated technology will “largely support truck drivers instead of replacing them” for at least the next decade, reports Crain Automotive News.
Shelia Cotton, the MSU professor who led the research, said in a press release that while automated vehicle technology won’t eliminate jobs, it will shift workforce demands.
“… this level of advanced technology has the potential to lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs in the engineering, data analysis, cybersecurity and vehicle ‘monitoring’ areas,” Cotten said in the press release.
The report points to the need for more education and training to facilitate the rapid changes in the trucking industry, according to Christopher Poe, assistant director for Connected and Automated Transportation Strategy with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute.
“In the near-term there is great potential for these technologies to assist commercial drivers in safely operating trucks. Longer-term it will be important to define, develop, and deliver targeted training for the workforce,” Poe said in a press release
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