Improved use of tires and braking systems, not to mention safety, are among the gains expected when automated trucking is widely implemented in U.S. supply chains, says Peter Coratola Jr., chief executive officer and founder of Ease Logistics.

First, an English lesson: Automated and autonomous are not synonymous. Automated means the human element has been reduced, whereas autonomous means it has been eliminated. As a practical matter, what does that mean for the trucking industry? “As an example,” says Coratola, “an automated truck with no driver would go from A to B but would follow another truck. There'd be a driver in one, no driver in the second. We've reduced human intervention. An autonomous truck would go from A to B, but it would execute without any human intervention.”

Safety is the undisputed goal of automating transportation, Coratola says, but he’s aware of the “commotion” around the issue, especially as it would replace drivers. However, driving a truck is a “constant game of risk mitigation,” he says, and increased use of sensors and other technology boosts safety. And attracting drivers has become much more difficult for the industry. 

Some say the risks of inner-city driving preclude automated transportation. Coratola thinks that in “our lifetimes” automated trucking will only be over-the-road. Australia has a highly developed “open road” trucking system, he says, because there are many flat, straight roads with few variables, such as dense population. 

“They do two-, three-, four-truck platooning,” Coratola says. “Here, we're trying to avoid the application because more infrastructure upgrades have to happen inside metropolis areas before we start including automated vehicles.” 

He notes that pricing will be impacted positively. Diesel spend will decrease, as will the frequency and cost of maintenance for tires and bake pads. “The benefit is really on the operator side.”