A few decades ago, autonomous vehicles only existed in science fiction books and movies. Still, the speculations of having driverless cars running on the roads have widely spread, especially in developed countries. Integrating this technology into our lifestyles is expected to accelerate gradually until autonomous vehicles are ready to take over the driving task in all circumstances.
Introducing autonomous cars to the transportation system has raised several questions, and people have many concerns regarding the safety and reliability of this technology. One main concern is the potential of these self-driving cars to affect other industries, mainly auto transport companies, negatively.
To address this concern, we have to look at the advantages and disadvantages of autonomous cars to evaluate how they would affect the auto transport industry. In this article, we will answer whether self-driving vehicles will replace auto transport companies in the future.
Advantages of autonomous vehicles
Since the emergence of autonomous vehicles, people have debated whether these vehicles will have good or bad outcomes. Simply put, autonomous vehicles are sure to bring benefits and cause some anxiety simultaneously.
From a positive perspective, autonomous vehicles are expected to change several aspects of our lives, transforming traditional transport systems. They will make life easier as these vehicles are designed to outperform conventional automobiles since they are based on modern technology that can handle driving seamlessly.
The top predictions about the positive effect of autonomous vehicles include saving fuel costs and reducing road congestion, which will contribute to economic growth. These AI-based vehicles can recognize short and fast routes, significantly saving commuters time. Self-driving cars are also expected to replace traditional public transportation as they are considered more effective, time and cost-efficient, and convenient to users.
Another notable advantage of driverless vehicles is enhanced safety. Autonomous cars can reduce road accident rates on a large scale due to their smart systems that are developed to detect and react responsively to dangerous situations. Hence, mistakes made by human drivers, such as impaired vision or drunk driving, can be avoided with self-driving vehicles, resulting in fewer road accidents.
Disadvantages of autonomous vehicles
Despite the prosperous promises autonomous vehicles hold, there are still some drawbacks regarding economy and safety. Until now, autonomous cars are not fully prepared to operate the driving process without drivers handling particular tasks.
They are, to date, not safe to run on public roads all over the country and under any condition. So, these vehicles will face problems when coping with human drivers breaking the rules or dealing with unexpected situations.
Furthermore, cyber security threats are another major concern for the safety of autonomous vehicles, as malicious cyber criminals could hack these vehicles for various purposes, like stealing or carrying out terrorist activities. In addition, software malfunction poses an issue regarding safety, which could lead to road accidents and car crashes.
Aside from safety issues, launching self-driving cars will also badly affect the working force, mainly drivers of all kinds of vehicles: bus drivers, taxi drivers, truck drivers, and heavy equipment operators. Many drivers in the U.S. will lose their jobs as their services won’t be in need anymore since self-driving vehicles are available, which will cause a spike in unemployment.
Autonomous vehicles will also negatively impact several industries. Insurance companies, for example, will suffer significant losses as the demand for insurance coverage decreases. Institutions gaining profits from parking, speeding, and other driving offenses fines will also be impacted by the prevalence of self-driving cars, as such incidents will be reduced.
Self-driving cars replacing auto transport companies
After evaluating both the positive and negative outcomes of launching autonomous vehicles, we can now reflect on the impact of self-driving cars on the auto transport industry. As with all aspects, driverless vehicles will positively and negatively affect the auto transport industry.
On the one hand, relying on self-driving vehicles in the shipping industry to haul cars will provide several benefits for auto transport companies. The smart operating system of driverless cars counts for a more efficient hauling experience as it can find shorter and faster routes and drive during midnight hours, making car delivery more timely and reducing fuel costs. Hence, with reduced driver personnel and fuel costs, auto transport companies can significantly increase their profit margins.
However, if driverless vehicles prevail to the extent of replacing privately owned cars, the demand for auto transport services will also decrease. In that case, auto transport companies will have to find ways to adapt to this technology and use it to their advantage to keep their services in demand.
Moreover, allowing self-driving carriers to move across the states while having several vehicles on board is risky. Unless the technology can guarantee 100% safe delivery, it will not be legalized in the short term. We still don’t know if the day will come when shipping cars is a completely robotic-based process where humans don’t have anything to do with it. However, we shall wait and see how things will develop.
Wrapping up
Billions of dollars are spent on autonomous vehicle development and testing. Sooner or later, these vehicles will become an integral part of the country’s transport system. Autonomous cars will change how we live and make traveling and commuting simpler and easier than ever. Therefore, it is wise for all industries to start planning how to utilize this technology in their workflow and maintain the success of their businesses. Although Tempus Logix doesn’t offer self-driving carriers at the moment, the company is always eager to implement sare-of-the-art technology in its services. It might one day be one of the early adopters of such an approach. Speaking about implementing cutting-edge solutions, recently, Tempus Logix implemented an AI-based online auto-shipping cost calculator. The new tool enables instant and accurate car shipping quotes, considering several factors in real-time
