Could driverless vehicles spell the end of the road for truck drivers?

The trucking industry has long faced a driver shortage, in part because of high risk, low pay and long hours. The rise of autonomous vehicles could alleviate that problem–but it could also eliminate jobs for a population of older men who lack college degrees and might have difficulty finding new work. Paul Solman explores the conundrum for our special Future of Work series. Read the Full Transcript

Amna Nawaz: The idea of a future with self-driving cars sparks both fascination and concern.

Just yesterday, Waymo announced the start of a self-driving car-sharing service in Phoenix. And, yes, the cars will still have a backup driver in case of problems.

But the stakes are high for the U.S. trucking industry, too.

And that’s the focus of tonight’s report in our series The Future of Work.

On the one hand, the industry has long faced a driver shortage. On the other, self-driving trucks could threaten the jobs of truckers, many of whom are older men without college degrees.

Economics correspondent Paul Solman explores whether driverless trucks could become kings of the road, part of our weekly look at economics, Making Sense.

Finn Murphy: I’m wondering if I missed my turn. What the hell am I going to do here? Paul Solman: Longtime trucker Finn Murphy inadvertently showing me how tough a job a trucker’s can be. Finn Murphy: So, what I need to do is turn around before I get on a low bridge or some other nightmare that I don’t want to get involved in. Paul Solman: Despite such subtleties, though, says Murphy, the future of work on the road is just around the corner: the driverless truck. Finn Murphy: I think it’s imminent, yes. I think it’s going to happen within the next three years or so, where you […]

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