Self-driving vehicles are no longer stuck in the future. Nevada has become the first state to allow autonomous commercial trucks on the roads—not in theory, but in practice, granting the first license for this purpose on open public highways in the United States.
The state passed laws in both 2011 and 2013 allowing for experimentation with self-driving cars. But now at least one commercial truck is going to be on the road with the rest of the cars.
It wasn’t without a lot of vetting before self-driving trucks were allowed on the road. Nevada law requires autonomous vehicles be used for a certain number of miles without incident to prove the technology is safe. Fortunately for your business, this kind of technology and innovation has already been paid for by other companies.
So why would you want to get into the realm of self-driving trucks? One of the biggest reasons is fuel efficiency. The Department of Energy found a 115-percent increase in fuel efficiency among self-driving vehicles. On a five-day trial, another test saw diesel fuel efficiency double on routes between Dallas and San Antonio. Those are big savings, especially over time.
There’s also the not-so-small matter of autonomous vehicles being safer than their alternatives. This will amount to significant savings from reduced workmen's compensation insurance and liability lawsuits. Perhaps the largest expense you can reduce in the near future is drivers themselves, who will quickly become obsolete in a world filled with autonomous vehicles.
Sure, the days when our roads are filled with self-driving commercial trucks aren’t here right this second. But look for prices in this field to drop considerably, and then for everyone to be using these miraculous pieces of machinery. The longer you wait, the greater the risk your business will be undercut by competitors willing to adopt this kind of innovative technology sooner.