Just read a very interesting article about the future of manufacturing. It looks like that within 10 years there will be two reasons why the number of truck drivers will be greatly reduced.
Driverless trucks and 3D printers.
Cant wait to see a driverless truck backing onto a tight bay but the 3D printers will have a huge impact on the transport industry.
No more cheap foreign drivers transporting cheap foreign tat?
Viking - while I agree that 3d printing has got a serious role to play in reducing the amount of finished goods on our roads, you have to remember, that a 3d printer doesn’t run on thin air. It requires a supply of plastic or metal to form the objects it is making. People are still going to need to purchase it from somewhere, so will still need trucks to take it places.
As I’ve said many times, I’m not going to worry about driverless trucks until, they make one that can work out the closest spot to a delivery point, then get out and use the Manitou to unload it.
Can’t wait to see the total chaos of driverless trucks at a stand still at busy RDCs because of all their safety systems have gone into hyper mode and blown the circuit boards or shut down 
and of course the 3D print-outs will be made of fresh air.
Journalists really do come up with some rubbish 
, sadly its more of a surprise when they come up with something worthwhile 
I don’t think a 3d printer can print your breakfast, dinner to tea?
They will need a driver rdc bulls### chip invented first and a download point at each rdc never happen haha
Driverless truck ,eh…whats Aldi gonna do then ,for ‘free’ warehouse staff
I can’t wait to try a 3D pasty.
viking7000:
Cant wait to see a driverless truck backing onto a tight bay but the 3D printers will have a huge impact on the transport industry.
No more cheap foreign drivers transporting cheap foreign tat?
Won’t happen. You need a massive 3D printer to print metal, or glass they can’t print electronic components. 3D printers are fine for a little plastic widget or a spare plastic part but as soon as it involves metallic or electronic components they’re no use.
Not quite sure what you think 3D printers are capable of but you seem to think they’re capable of a lot more than they will be in reality even with a decade of advances.
there’s never gonna be a time when trucks don’t need drivers, ever
some of the drivers aids could be worthwhile but it’s pretty much a waste of money all the R+D they’re putting in to it IMO
That’s not true. I’m sure there will come a time when, no one will need a drivers license. But it isn’t going to be in our time that’s for sure.
Have I missed something here? It’s just that I didn’t realise there was a driver shortage NOW, which is what I infer from the thread title.
If there is a driver shortage then why are a lot of drivers not earning a good wage for working a 40 hour week instead of working 70 hour weeks and heading for an early grave? Why aren’t our working conditions a whole lot better? Where are all the advertisements for good jobs?
Where I live, there’s very little in the way of driving jobs. Make that “good” driving jobs.
The amount of investment required to properly introduce driverless trucks in anywhere near the volumes needed to provide an impact on the economy is chronically prohibitive.
Plus the fact there are lots of things such as a driverless truck stopping for fuel?? Or what insurance company will insure a driverless truck, not to mention what happens when it pulls up to tip, does it just sit at the barrier and wait for a security man to come and attend to it,
And of course think of all the money VOSA will be out when they can’t fine the driver etc 
There will never be driverless trucks used on the roads regularly within the next 50 years at least
alcraw62:
… If there is a driver shortage then why are a lot of drivers not earning a good wage for working a 40 hour week instead of working 70 hour weeks and heading for an early grave? Why aren’t our working conditions a whole lot better? …
It’s never going to happen while there are people entering the industry prepared to work for minimum wage whilst they “gain experience”, and you have employers willing to exploit this. It would also require solidarity of the workers in the industry and, sadly, that isn’t going to happen either. 
alcraw62:
Where I live, there’s very little in the way of driving jobs. Make that “good” driving jobs.
Doesn’t surprise me. Ayrshire is hardly crammed full of industry and RDCs.
3D printing!
what the hell are you talking about!?
1.the paperless world where its all done by computer and no newspapers need delivering
think that idea failed in the early 90s
- 3D printer; print what!
like every old granny is going to have a lath in there back garden
And who is going to deliver the raw matirials to every house hold that is self serfisent with there new printer
3D printing; never heard such a load of twodal
Why not change lane 1 of motorways into a kind of giant conveyor belt?
098Joe:
Why not change lane 1 of motorways into a kind of giant conveyor belt?
i wish i had thought of that
Driverless trucks = no wage bill = no £10 per hour to pay = massive jump in profits. I wonder how far Stobarts are down this road? It will start with the night trunkers or LGV’s working in London.
No more cheap foreign drivers transporting cheap foreign tat?
Nope, but you will need transport to deliver the home grown/made tat. 
no difference , business as usual 