> Many truck drivers own their own trucks and contract for the carriers so those are the ones that could buy self-driving trucks

Except they probably couldn't, because the carriers are going to lease self-driving trucks from specialized agencies that will exist exactly for that purpose, as they won't want the administrative costs of dealing with individual owners (which makes some sense when it's an owner/operator as an alternative to hiring a driver and buying/leasing a truck separately, but none when the truck is self-operating.)

So, since no one is going to be likely to pay them for use of the self-driving truck, there's no anticipated income stream with which to finance the purchase.

Somebody has to make those leasing agencies. That will create some jobs, but it is easy to see how 1 person can easily handle 3 fully automated trucks even without the typical logistics that big companies bring to the table. If this cost reduction causes 3x as much stuff to be shipped it won't be a short term problem, but I find that unlikely.

So the opportunity for the current owner/operators is to pool their resources and become the specialized self-driving truck agency.

Sounds like a union. Do you do them anymore in the US?

It sounds like a business to me. Unions pool labor for negotiating power, they don't pool financial resources to create value.

Labor unions are alive and well in the United States. What's your implication? Don't beat around the bush.