Recently Noted – “Millions of professional drivers will be replaced…..” – NBC News

Otto Budweiser beer delivery

The shape of jobs in the US and around the world it’s changing rapidly. On 11/5/2017 NBC News reported:

Self-driving trucks

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.

There’s also a financial carrot, said CAR’s Cole. “A long-haul driver is limited in the number of hours they can drive before taking a break,” but a robotic truck can operate pretty much 24/7 – and without claiming a paycheck at the end of the week.

See the NBC News report here

Other notes about the changing structure of work are here: