Buffet thinks automated freight vehicles could be a while away from becoming the norm
American billionaire and investor Warren Buffett doesn’t think truckies face an imminent threat of automated vehicle technology.
He believes self-driving trucks could be a while away from becoming common.
After recently investing in Pilot Flying J, the largest truck-stop chain in North America, Buffet justified his decision on Bloomberg TV by saying decisively, “trucks are going to be around for a very long time.”
As far as self-driving trucks and automation within the transport industry, Buffet doesn’t seem fazed.
“It’s not something I am going to lose sleep over.”
“Who knows when driverless trucks are going to come along and what level of penetration they have,” Buffett said in the TV interview.
Buffet’s dismissal of driver-less trucks as an imminent threat reminds us of an important reality – regulation and legal frameworks are lagging behind the rapid rate of technological development we’re experiencing.
Will the self-driving fleets be stopping in at truck stops for a bite to eat?
No, but for now it seems drivers will be the ones steering.