Drivers worried AI could threaten industry

LOS ANGELES (NewsNation) — Artificial intelligence could potentially jeopardize jobs in various sectors, including truck driving, and drivers are anxious that their days of driving may come to an abrupt end within a few short years.

“I worry a lot because my job’s going to be replaced,” said Raymond Lucero, who’s driven big rigs in California for more than 30 years.

Lucero believes the end of his professional road is shorter than his road to retirement.

“I’ll sit here as long as I can, but I think my job is going to be replaced as other jobs within a matter of a couple of years,” he said.

It’s been more than a couple of years since major retailers started testing autonomous trucks in several states, but many beleive a full rollout won’t happen anytime soon. A major factor is a significant pushback within the industry.

Truckers Against Autonomous Vehicles held a rally in Southern California last week ahead of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s veto of Assembly Bill 316, meaning human drivers won’t be required on board self-driving trucks

Unions and critics argue automation isn’t only dangerous, it endangers jobs and the economy.

“We need to protect these jobs, we need to make sure that there’s a future,” a protester told NewsNation. “We proved our relevance during the pandemic when we provided goods and services to this country, we kept this country moving. So, we need to make sure that any attack or vulnerability because of technology needs to be dealt with and dealt with accordingly.”

Just like autonomous taxis, autonomous truck technology is already a reality, and proponents argue that machines are safer drivers.

“Computers do not drink, they don’t do drugs, they don’t look at their cellphone when they’re driving,” said Noel Perry, a transportation economist.

“We could have trucks going one after the other with a driver in the front controlling the rest of them,” Perry said.

Some long haulers are already looking to pull over and pivot.

“For right now I’m looking into doing something else,” a driver told NewsNation. “I’ve invested my money somewhere else instead of on a truck.”