Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-collar jobs

Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by intrasight on Sunday September 25, 2016 @11:51AM (#12575816)

Truck drivers need to work with their union(s) to lobby for a law that says that only union members can own an autonomous driving agent. Problem solved - we have self-driving trucks but trucking companies must "hire" an agent via a union member. To become a union member, you'll still have to a rigorous apprenticeship and training program - and of course pay your union dues.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by JoeAltmaier on Sunday September 25, 2016 @12:02PM (#12575866)

Sounds like featherbedding. Putting pointless people in the middle just to skim money from the process. Who benefits? Nobody but them. Reminds me of how the railroads had to pay into the pension fund for Firemen, long after steam engines were dead and gone. Just because.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by mason55 on Sunday September 25, 2016 @12:14PM (#12575915)

The same way that the unions in NYC have forced the MTA to keep the hugely expensive, 100 year old backup control & signaling systems on the fully-automated lines even though it's 100% not necessary.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by intrasight on Sunday September 25, 2016 @01:40PM (#12576328)

Is no more fetherbedding than any other regulated profession (doctors, layers) who get to themselves decide who is a member in good standing.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by JoeAltmaier on Sunday September 25, 2016 @03:45PM (#12577032)

Ha! A guy that takes a cut for 'managing' an autodriving truck - which then drives itself - is very different. Because doctors and lawyers actually do work.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by intrasight on Sunday September 25, 2016 @01:46PM (#12576359)

And to carry the analogy further, AI agents are now better than radiologists at analyzing images. But the AI agent works for/under the direction of the radiologist.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by aianus on Sunday September 25, 2016 @02:56PM (#12576751)

Why is that a model to aspire to? It makes me angry when I have to pay a doctor $100 for something stupid and trivial like a prescription for a vaccine.

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Re:Self-driving trucks threaten one of America's top blue-co... by sverige on Sunday September 25, 2016 @12:22PM (#12575952)

Only a small percentage of drivers are union members, mostly those in the LTL segment of the industry.

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