1 March 2018

Trucks Won’t Be Automated Soon

Truck drivers don’t just drive trucks.

They also secure loads, including determining what to load first and last and how to tie it all down securely.
They act as agents for the trunking company.
They verify that what they are picking up is what is on the manifest.
They are the early warning system for vehicle maintenance.
They deal with the government and others at weighing stations.
When sleeping in the cab, they act as security for the load.
If the vehicle breaks down, they set up road flares and contact authorities.
If the vehicle doesn’t handle correctly, the driver has to stop and analyze what’s wrong – blown tire, shifting load, etc.

Many truckers are sole proprietors who own their own trucks.

This means they also do all the bookwork, preventative maintenance, taxes, etc.

These people have local knowledge that is not easily transferable.

They know the quirks of the routes, they have relationships with customers, they learn how best to navigate through certain areas, they understand how to optimize by splitting loads or arranging for return loads at their destination, etc.

They also learn which customers pay promptly, which ones provide their loads in a way that’s easy to get on the truck, which ones generally have their paperwork in order, etc.

Loading docks are not all equal. Some are very ad-hoc and require serious judgement to be able to manoever large trucks around them.

via Tyler Cowen

To avoid a gator he swung far right, over rumble bars along the shoulder.

A gator is a strip of tire, dead on the road, nearly always a piece of a recap.

A gator can rip off your fuel-crossover line, punch in your bumper, bomb out a fender.