Posted on 10/29/2025 9:57:50 PM PDT by Red Badger
Editor’s Note: For the record, I’m among the EXTREMELY skeptical when it comes to automation of anything that can kill people. Big rigs qualify. Call me a Boomer if you’d like but I prefer drivers to be human… as long as they speak and read in English and are U.S. citizens. With that said, the data on AI trucks is at least a little compelling…
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Artificial intelligence has officially taken the wheel—literally. A recent large-scale safety showdown between AI-driven trucking systems and top-rated human drivers has revealed something few expected: the machines won.
According to results released this week, autonomous trucking systems achieved a perfect safety score, outperforming seasoned human professionals across multiple categories including reaction time, braking, lane control, and accident prevention.
The trial was conducted under tightly controlled but real-world conditions, pitting self-driving big rigs against human-operated counterparts on identical routes. AI trucks not only matched but exceeded the performance of the best human drivers, earning top marks across every safety metric. Supporters are hailing this as proof that artificial intelligence can make roads safer and reduce human error—long considered the leading cause of fatal accidents.
But despite the promising data, skepticism runs deep. Many Americans aren’t ready to trust machines with 80,000 pounds of steel hurtling down a highway at 70 miles per hour. Beyond questions of safety, there’s a deeper unease—about jobs, control, and what it means when algorithms begin replacing not only human labor but human judgment.
Truckers have long been a backbone of American commerce. The industry employs more than 3.5 million drivers nationwide, many of whom spend decades perfecting their craft and navigating conditions no computer can fully simulate: unpredictable weather, erratic motorists, sudden mechanical failures, and the moral instincts that arise in moments of crisis. While AI systems can react faster than human reflexes, they can’t yet replicate human intuition or conscience.
And that’s where the debate cuts deeper. The technology may be statistically “perfect,” but the moral question remains: who’s accountable when things go wrong? When a self-driving truck swerves to save one life but endangers another, who makes that decision—the programmer, the corporation, or the machine?
Skeptics also point to the pattern of overpromising seen across the tech world. Silicon Valley has a habit of selling perfection before it’s proven. From self-driving cars that still cause accidents to “bias-free” AI systems that quietly discriminate, history shows that early victories often mask deeper vulnerabilities. Many fear the same pattern could repeat with autonomous freight—especially when profit and efficiency drive deployment faster than regulation or public understanding can keep up.
For the trucking industry, the shift to automation isn’t just about technology—it’s about transformation. Major logistics companies, facing driver shortages and rising costs, are investing billions in autonomous systems. Yet every advance in efficiency seems to come at the expense of independence. What happens when the open road, once a symbol of American freedom and hard work, becomes just another node in a network of machines governed by remote algorithms?
There’s also a geopolitical dimension few acknowledge. As China and global tech conglomerates pour resources into autonomous transportation, American companies are racing to stay ahead. The question isn’t only whether AI can drive safely—it’s who controls the data, infrastructure, and decision-making systems behind it. Once again, control of the road could mirror control of the nation itself.
Still, there’s no denying the achievements. AI truck systems have mastered complex tasks once thought impossible for machines—navigating traffic, adjusting for crosswinds, predicting driver behavior, even handling emergency lane merges. Engineers argue these systems could dramatically reduce highway deaths caused by fatigue, distraction, or intoxication. If implemented responsibly, they might indeed save thousands of lives.
But “responsibly” is the key word. Americans have reason to be cautious when Big Tech and Big Logistics promise a utopia of automation. What begins as innovation often becomes dependency. The same corporations that assure us their AI trucks will make roads safer also profit when human drivers—and the freedom they represent—disappear.
Faith, family, and freedom aren’t just cultural ideals—they’re principles that shape how we navigate a changing world. The push toward autonomous everything threatens to erode personal responsibility and human connection under the guise of progress. It’s not enough to ask whether the technology works. We must ask whether it serves us—or whether we are slowly being programmed to serve it.
For now, the machines may have won the test. But the real question isn’t who drives better. It’s who decides where we’re going.
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Diesel Knock!..........................
I would be interested to see, first, who paid for this.
Second, where
third, how big a trial
I skimmed thru the post, didn’t see these details.
Also, big rigs have the potential to cause horrific devastation. I would want many more trials.
I might be willing to accept, in the future, AI assist, as long a human driver has his hands on the wheel.
This is something, to a certain extent, that has me concerned (job security) but on another note somewhat excited to see how it works out. Technology will likely replace the human factor to a large extent at some point, but what will be the human cost? When does technological advancement cross the point of making humanity irrelevant?
Could it be worse than the non-English speaking criminal alien truckers who are killing people all over the U.S. lately?
Beat me to it
First thing I thought of
‘The trial was conducted under tightly controlled but real-world conditions,...’
lol. i do not think ‘tightly controlled’ means ‘real world.’
those two predicates are not logically compatible.
By driving long haul distances at 40 mph instead of 60 mph, a truck can save at least 50% on fuel, tires, wear and tear, and could get by with lighter construction and a smaller motor. The truck would arrive at accidents with much less kinetic energy, and would have more thinking and reaction time for better outcomes. Who knows what the actual optimum speed point is for cost efficiency and lower insurance costs, but AI truck drivers will almost certainly save big money.
You’re right to be skeptical of how this study was conducted, however, it’s only a matter of time before AI autonomous systems are controlling big rigs all over the country.
Long Haul truckers are in short supply, it makes sense to use autonomous systems in situations where shortages exist and a solution exists.
Eventually an accident will occur. Some computer failure or some unseen event causing death and destruction. Call me old fashioned, old fogey, out of date, over the hill, whatever, but I like to see a human behind the wheel. One who speaks English, can read and write and has a valid CDL. There is also one point I’d like to make. When I got a CDL for driving a tri-axel dump for a part time gig, one of the things that was stressed was for the driver to assist when witnessing an accident and there is no help yet. Also to call in to police debris and other road hazards. What will an AI driven truck do? When one breaks down, will another AI driven vehicle with robots come out to fix it or tow it away?
“I would be interested to see”
Aurora Innovation (AUR) Advances Driverless Tech with Expansion Plans
Aurora Innovation (AUR) has reached a significant milestone, exceeding 100,000 autonomous miles on public roads. CEO Chris Urmson announced the initiation of driverless commercial services between Fort Worth and El Paso, achieved within six months of the company’s initial launch. As Aurora braces for increased demand by Q2 2026, it plans to introduce a second-generation hardware kit, aiming to enhance driverless capabilities without oversight.
..... the future of trucking... is here
nasdaq AUR ... about 5$ a share today .
... just saying
“Could it be worse than the non-English speaking criminal alien truckers who are killing people all over the U.S. lately?”
No. Sadly, the damned computer is likely a much better trucker than foreign truckers who drive in via the southern border. Where I live (San Francisco), the streets are crawling with self-driving Waymos (e.g., sometimes I’ll spot two dozen different Waymos in the course of 5 minutes of driving around town). And the technology is impressive. The algorithms have improved by leaps and bounds, and the Waymos drive in a very impressive pay and pull of very complex maneuvers.
I know a guy who lives out there, formerly a big use of Uber, who now is of the attitude “Why would I want to be driven around by meat?” Vastly prefers Waymo.
Given how many Uber drivers out there are non=English-speaking illegals, I can’t say I blame him.
The AI controlled truck solution is a complete mistake. Really stupid. The AI controlled road is the correct solution. The highway determines if the truck can enter, its speed, spacing and exit; all based upon the entire condition of the road and other traffic not on the encounters made by a single AI driverless truck.
As long as the industry doesn’t use 3rd world programmers it should be fine. /S
-——who’s accountable when things go wrong? ——
Now, that is a prescient look at the heart of the manner. It boils down to the lawyerly concept and fear, who do we sue? The AI generated data logs clearly show all conditions were optimal.
I suspect AI driven trucks will do as the real drivers do, they will form long chains of trucks going 68 or 69 mph, evenly spaced at the AI determined safe spacing interval.
An empty flat bed will chafe at ther pace aqnd attempt to go round. But lacking the ability to exceed 70 mph will block the left lane because it can’t pass. The problem will upset the 4 wheeler driver who doesn’t like to pass trucks but got stuck trying to pass and becomes panicky, doing something stupid and inducing a wreck of the whole caravan.
The panicked driver dies and thus can’t be sued
The Tesla trucks that could easily be fitted with the FSB ability modified for size and conditions are electric
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