In the future, might truck driving be done remotely?

Truck driver conduct can play a major role in truck accidents. There are a wide range of types of negligent conduct by such drivers which could sharply increase the chances of their truck getting into a crash. Skilled truck accident attorneys can provide guidance to victims of crashes caused by truck driver negligence when it comes to legal options.

Now, autonomous vehicle technology may someday lead to trucks that have no drivers in them being out on the roads. However, a truck having no driver physically onboard may not mean that truck drivers play no role in the truck’s operation. This can be seen in a technology that a startup is working on.

The technology is intended to be used in tandem with autonomous systems. The technology is aimed at allowing a truck driver to control a truck remotely from locations like an office. The system allows this remote driver to take things over from the autonomous system when situations arise that the autonomous system may not be well-suited to handle.

The startup hopes that creating the ability for truck drivers to be in control of a truck without actually being on the truck could make trucking a safer and more convenient job.

So, in the future autonomous era of trucks, truck driver behavior could still be quite impactful. An important question to consider in regard to this is: How would controlling a truck remotely rather than being physically onboard a truck affect a truck driver’s safety conduct?

In your opinion, do you think truckers would be more likely or less likely to drive safely if they controlled their truck remotely?

Source: Overdrive, “New autonomous trucking tech startup looking at taking drivers out of trucks,” Jason Cannon, March 6, 2017