Trucking Will Undergo More Changes Than Automation.

It’s one of the biggest industries in the nation, employing millions of people every year. As various corporations work toward removing humans entirely from the process of moving goods around the country, professional truckers are faced with the eventual outmoding of their job. But, that eventuality is not all they have to worry about. What was once a job famous for offering a hefty portion of personal autonomy is now becoming a job with more oversight than ever before. Tracking software, reporting the activities and movement of each trucker, means hyper-micromanagement.

Thought these jobs will be outmoded, they are currently as in-demand as ever. Is there a potential crisis as these drivers feel increasingly more alienated and threatened? Will fewer people enter the field in the first place? Intense oversight and reduced autonomy might mean yes.

Christophe Haubursin, from Vox.com, wrote about this growing fear.

“A lot of truckers are worried about what that change will mean for their own independence and privacy. Legislation set to take effect in December 2017 will require that all American truck drivers equip their vehicle with an electronic logging device — ELD for short. These small computers monitor speed, location, and driving schedules, and report that information back to an employer or a third-party monitoring service. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, these devices can and will increase safety by more closely monitoring driver fatigue.

But the ELDs are also seen as a gateway to more intrusive monitoring technologies, like SmartCap’s EEG-monitoring hats, or Seeing Machines’ computer vision-equipped inward facing cameras. And for truckers, privacy issues are especially divisive, because their trucks often serve as workplace, home, and vehicle when they are out on the road.”