of AV technology on the trucking industry in general , and on truck drivers in particular .
To produce some clarity around this , Danaf recently authored an Uber Freight paper , called ‘ The future of self-driving technology in trucking ’.
In the paper , Danaf broaches another key positive of AV trucking solutions : labour shortages .
In many developed economies , the trucking industry is acutely short of skilled labour , as experienced drivers retire or choose other careers , and younger people are not being recruited quickly enough . And all this at a time of growing demand .
This is reflected in research by BCG . In 2021 , the American Trucking Associations – the largest national trade association for the US trucking industry – estimated that the industry faced a historic shortfall of 80,000 drivers , with expectations that the shortage could exceed 160,000 drivers by 2030 given current driver demographics and expected growth in freight volumes , it says .
What ’ s more , the association estimates that up to one million haulage employees could be lost between 2022 and 2030 .
Meanwhile , in Europe , the International Road Transport Union says that unless the industry is made more accessible
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