Future of Autonomous Trucks in Texas

Texas is the epicenter of the trucking economy, with surveys showing that one-in-sixteen Texans work in the trucking industry. Being right on the border and hosting some of the largest cities in the U.S. allow Texan truckers to handle 85% of trade between the U.S. and Mexico. Unfortunately, Texas is also one of the most congested states, according to the American Transportation Research Institute’s list of worst bottlenecks in the U.S. featuring fourteen Texas roadways. 

As an epicenter of the trucking economy, Texas is working to lead the country in autonomous freight liners that drive themselves. Waymo, a sub-company under Alphabet Inc., is already testing these autonomous trucks between Dallas and other transport hubs. In June, Waymo began a series of test runs with their line of Via trucks in partnership with UPS and J.B. Hunt. Waymo constructed a 9-acre facility, which will create hundreds of jobs in Dallas.

During the test runs of J.B. Hunt and Waymo’s partnership, the company reported zero accidents or speeding violations. A trained driver was present for every ride to ensure that a human could take over the wheel if something went wrong. 

Srikanth Saripalli, a professor at the Texas A&M’s Center for Autonomous Vehicles and Sensor System, sees a potentially bright future for autonomous trucks. He explained that the technology could help ease driver shortages and relieve some of the fatigue and burnout that drivers experience. However, he still has a concern about how the trucks will deal with unpredictable circumstances.

“There are still things that need to be fixed, so I will not say that the technology is ready. But, I can definitely see that in the next five to ten years,” Saripalli told KXXV. 

One driver, Lee Schmitt Gerald Johnson, garnered over 3,500 signatures on his Change.org petition against autonomous trucks. In its summary, he states that the citizens of the U.S. “DEMAND our legislators protect our safety as we travel on the roadways of this great nation by proposing, creating, and enacting laws to require that no automated motor vehicle shall be operated in automatic mode.” The only exception would be if a trained driver were present to take control of the vehicle. The petition also calls for black box recording devices aboard each truck.

As more testing occurs, self-driven trucks may become a more common sight. With opponents and supporters increasing, the autonomous truck movement will surely catch the public’s attention in the coming years.