Even as the need for drivers grows, the industry is moving toward an electric and autonomous truck future. Though years away, what was fantasy could become reality with autonomous trucks serving delivering goods that keep the nation rolling.

Many in the industry note the trucks are already filled with futuristic gadgets that erase the “Smoky and the Bandit” images of the life of a trucker.

TCW driver John Henderson of Lebanon recently got his first glimpse at an electric truck.

“I’ve been in this industry a total of 36 years, but I still got excited about seeing it. I wanna know more about it,” he says. “I know we’re slowly working toward totally autonomous.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever see it fully in my lifetime. I believe it’s in the infancy stage right now and somewhere, they will come into play. They will.”

Counters Ellen Voie, president and CEO of Women In Trucking: “Well, not yet. Not in my lifetime or in your lifetime. We’ve embraced all the technology that’s going on in autonomous vehicles. There’s anticollision, anti-rollover, radar, lidar (light detection and ranging).

“I mean, there’s tons of technology on the trucks. We embrace that. We think that’s great. Bring it on. But even in airplanes with an autopilot, there are still two pilots in the cockpit, so you’re going to see some autonomous vehicles in lanes – maybe out West where there’s no snow,” Voie adds.

“Autonomous vehicles are not ready for things like winter weather, construction or even a blown tire. An autonomous vehicle just can’t do that. So maybe in the future, but I don’t think we’re gonna see it in my lifetime because we’re not ready for it yet.”

-- Tom Wood