As self-driving truck developers get ever closer to utilizing fully driverless on-highway tractors, they are also creating a set of new, unique job functions that will be imperative to support self-driving fleets in real-world freight operations. Even without a driver, autonomous trucks “will still depend on trained professionals to prepare, inspect, dispatch, monitor and maintain the vehicles as they haul loads between designated freight hubs on specific stretches of highway.” Read more
Layoffs across the freight and logistics industry continue “with companies in Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan and Texas announcing job reductions and facility closures over the past two weeks.” One example is that of Warren, Michigian-based Universal Logistics, which is permanently closing two of its subsidiaries and laying off a total of 677 employees, according to notices recently filed with the state. Read more…
Virtual reality and augmented reality will soon be beneficial for warehouse workers, as the technology can be used for “various operation purposes in the warehouse, such as put away and sorting, or so-called Vision Picking.” Vision Picking is wearable gear utilized to increase warehouse workers’ productivity, making their jobs much easier in the process. Read more…
While “experts have long imagined that blue-collar workers like truckers or factory workers would be the first to lose jobs to artificial intelligence,” with even former presidential candidate Andrew Yang suggesting that it could cause a truck driving industry catastrophe of epic proportions, it seems that many have overlooked that Artificial Intelligence could blight non-blue collar workers first, such as writers and creatives. Read more…
With continuous shortages and unreliable transportation in the supply chain industry, “it seems everyone’s suddenly interested in a field that has been generally ignored for too long.” Amongst all the new job openings in the sector, there are four in particular that stand out: data driven-planner, traceability analyst, supply chain communicator, and supply network innovator. Read more…
According to a RABA research poll, Pennsylvanians aren’t exactly ecstatic about sharing the road with self-driving trucks and other vehicles. When asked how comfortable they are “sharing the road with ‘highly automated, driverless vehicles,’ over half of respondents said they were either ‘somewhat uncomfortable’ or ‘very uncomfortable’ with the idea.” Read more…
Fully driverless trucks have caused concerns for many in the industry about the potential layoffs, but “ a growing body of research and expert opinion, however, suggests that the economic shift to self-driving big rigs is unlikely to impact as many truck driving jobs as some news headlines proclaim.” Read more…
Boston Dynamics’ logistics robot “Stretch,” which can unload trailers and maneuver containers of all shapes and sizes, has officially sold out for 2022, with deliveries now only expected for 2023 and 2024. Stretch can also “access tight spaces and even recover packages that might shift or fall during the unloading, thanks to its advanced vision system and custom vacuum gripper.” The robot can not only do all of this on its own, but it can also decide what to do next in real time. Read more…
