When Will We See Self-Driving Trucks?

The age of the driverless commercial truck is coming. It's just a question of when. Someday you'll look in your rear-view mirror and see an 18-wheeler bearing down on you with no one in the cab. But there's nothing to fear, according to Gary Girotti, executive vice president of Chainalytics. He believes the technology already exists to make self-driving trucks safe and viable for everyday use. What's more, he says, they're a solution to the driver shortage problem, and are 15 percent more fuel-efficient than traditional trucks. So what's holding them back? It's largely a matter of public perception, Girotti says. (Which wasn't helped by the recent fatal crash of a supposedly self-driving Tesla Model S.) He joins us on this episode to discuss the development of the driverless truck, and when it might become a regular sight on roads and highways. ''I would feel much safer if the computer was driving the truck [rather] than a human being,'' he says.