We could see autonomous trucks driving in Louisiana in the not-too-distant future. That’s the word from Renee Amar, the executive director of the Louisiana Motor Transport Association (LMTA). As the Louisiana Radio Network reports, Amar says a 2019 law, known as Act No. 232, already allows autonomous trucking in the state. “They think probably 2027 is when we’re going to see an actual rollout of autonomous trucks that’ll be operating on the road.”
Amar says there have already been test runs for self-driving trucks in the state. She says for now, those drives will remain at night during low traffic hours and with a human driver in the vehicle. “They’ll drive, tens and thousands, maybe 70, 80, 100,000 miles with that driver in the truck before they even try to put that truck on the road.” Autonomous trucks are already on the road in Texas, with a night route between Dallas and Houston.
Amar concludes that once autonomous trucks are approved for a full rollout, they could transform the industry. She mentioned employment and liability concerns. “When you have a major disruption of technology in any market, any industry, it’s going to have ripple effects down the line.”