KILLEEN, Texas — In Central Texas and across the country, there's a trucking shortage.
Experts say because of the technicalities the job brings, that shortage may never come to an end.
Instead, computer technology might step in.
“Everything that’s happened with the snowstorm recently truck drivers were trying to drive but actually causing accidents," said Antoine Martin, a Killeen truck driver.
Martin believes computer technology can surely take over in the industry soon because of the never-ending shortage and hindrances current drivers face.
“The way I see it is that it can be advantageous, because artificial intelligence helps us predict patterns," said Dr. Khaldoon Dhou, computer information expert and profesor at Texas A & M Central Texas."We can see where exactly the shortage is and see what will happen in the future based on the data.”
In addition to predicting the future, the use of artificial intelligence and computer technology can help companies deliver goods and help cut down on the driver shortage problem.
“Maybe next 10 years to see self-driving trucks,” Dr. Dhou said. "Until then, companies continue to face problems, simply delivering goods."
“State guidelines are now interfering with the way things are delivered how fast," Martin said.
The truck driving shortage will continue, Martin says, and it's because of the challenges truck drivers face like having to be away from their families for long periods of time, extreme weather conditions, rising gas prices and now the pandemic.
Experts say if not self driving trucks, another form of computer technology will soon become the center of the trucking industry.
