GOODBYE TO THE DRIVERS – AT 1:33 P.M. ET:  I'm hearing this discussed frequently.  "Driver" is one of the most common occupations in the United States.  But for how long?  And at whose cost?From NBC: 

Drive just about anywhere these days and you’re likely to spot the signs that have been popping up on the back of big semi-trucks plying the nation’s freeways:  “Help Wanted.”

At a time when a booming economy has led to record freight shipments, the trucking industry is struggling with a severe shortfall of drivers.

And long-haulers aren’t alone. Delivery services, cab companies, even ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are struggling to find the drivers they need to keep their freight and passengers moving. Ironically, this shortage could wind up turning into a glut in the not-too-distance future that will see a huge disruption in the American workforce.

The shortage of drivers is “a huge inducement for the development of autonomous and fully driverless trucks (and other vehicles),” said David Cole, director-emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While “it isn’t going to happen overnight,” robotic vehicles will soon begin to displace professional drivers in numbers that will be “certainly in the millions.”

And...

One year ago this week a truck rolled into history as it traveled from a Colorado brewing plant to a warehouse 120 miles away carrying 45,000 cans of Budweiser beer. The early morning run was done using a truck developed by a start-up called Otto, now an Uber subsidiary. Though there was a specialist seated in the truck’s sleeper berth to monitor things along the way, there was no driver behind the wheel.

The ultimate goal for many freight-haulers is to take humans out of the truck entirely. Proponents cite a wide range of advantages, including reductions in traffic congestion and a significant improvement in highway safety.

COMMENT:  The safety aspect is key.  If it can be shown that driverless trucks are actually safer than human-controlled trucks, the future becomes absolutely clear, and a profession may well vanish.

November 5, 2017