Truck driver shortages are one of the leading reasons for recent supply chain woes but the issue is hardly new. Lack of drivers has been the top-rated problem affecting heavy trucking for the last five years in industry surveys. And, according to experts, it is unlikely to get better. The American Trucking Associations predicts that the current shortage of over 60,000 drivers will grow to over 160,000 by 2028.

Many have pointed to driverless trucks as a solution, and although fully autonomous trucks requiring no human input may be years away, progress towards total autonomy has been accelerating. In Nevada, Daimler Truck North America is testing driverless trucks at highway speeds with the goal of bringing SAE Level 4 trucks to public roads by 2030. Other developers of this technology, such as TuSimple, report similarly rapid progress, with plans for autonomous freight routes along strategic transportation corridors.

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