[sandworm101]

Honestly, I read these studies and think nobody writing them has any idea of what these jobs actually entail. Driving a truck is not the be all and end all of being a truck driver. The driver covers a great many tasks, from admin and security, to safety inspections, to dealing with law enforcement and boarder guards. I see no talk of how the robot is to replace those functions.

I do see sweeping statements about rebuilding entire infrastructures in order to accommodate robots (ie doing away with roadside safety inspections or eliminating boarder crossings). Every day I see ships come into harbour. Creating an autopilot for a ship is simple compared to one for a trucks. Yet every day a speedboat heads out to deliver the harbour pilot, and tugboat captains stand guard as tankers approach the bridge. Automation has failed to remove any of those jobs. The engine room crews may be a little smaller than in days past but the bridge crews, the drivers, are still there. We wouldn't have it any other way.

And aircraft ... and trains ...

[orkoden]

You could have truck drivers just at the start and end points of a route. Trucking companies can have representatives at the border, who then guide it through customs. No need to sit in the vehicle for hours.

[sandworm101]

Again, it isn't the physical act of driving that matters. It's that the truck driver is vetting the cargo. He is responsible for the contents, he is going to jail if there is something illegal in his truck. Someone jumping in the cab just shy of the boarder isn't going to be of much use to a boarder guard asking questions.