Technological progress taking place in the United States may soon have a profound impact on life in Canada. Increasingly, autonomous vehicle technology is taking hold in commercial fleets south of the border. When it proliferates beyond today’s levels, which is very likely to happen in the near future, it will be hard for Canadian regulators and governments to keep autonomous commercial fleets off Canadian roads, given the volume of trade and traffic crossing the border northbound every day.
A recent study from the RAND Corporation, a U.S. think tank, concludes that increased proliferation of autonomous vehicles – both commercial and personal – could save thousands of lives due to reduced collisions. Though the technology is still in its infancy, the potential impact is profound in terms of collision avoidance, industry profitability and, on the down side, long-term employment prospects for the people today making a living driving trucks and other commercial vehicles.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
http://www.nafa.org/