A Waymo Via autonomous truck gets serviced by a safety driver at a QuikTrip Truck Stop just south of Dallas, Texas on Sunday, June 26, 2022. Autonomous trucks are targeting long haul and line haul trucking markets. Estimates have stated that these machines will be able to lower current operating costs between 30 to 45 percent and more than double a trucks utilization rate.

Andre Wilson spends time with his family at home during a relaxing evening in Syracuse, NY on Saturday, January 29, 2022. Wilson hauls refrigerated trailers out of upstate New York. According to investor reports, autonomous trucks will be in New England by the end of the decade.

Paul Marhoefer says goodbye to his wife Denise for a long haul down to Florida in June of 2023. Marhoefer hauls refrigerated trailers for a family-owned company out of Ohio. The reefer market has been identified as a prime target for automation due to the predictable routes and faster delivery times.

Interstate 45 as seen in Texas as seen on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. The Texas Triangle is the current epicenter of autonomous truck testing. This is because of the state’s permissive regulatory environment, high density freight markets, and strategic location throughout the southern United States.

Will Cook enjoys a bag of peanut M&M’s before going to bed at a truck stop in Oregon. Cook is the founder of America Without Drivers, which is the first known trucker founded organization that’s rallying other drivers around labor and safety issues associated with autonomous trucking.

Will Cook makes his morning coffee near St. Louis before heading to his destination in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on Saturday, May 28, 2022. This trip would take him all the way to Seattle, Washington.

Nobles Truck Stop. Corinth, Kentucky. June 2022.

William “Porkchop” Honey stands for a portrait near his dump truck in Indianapolis on Saturday, July 1, 2023. In 2019, Honey used this truck as a shield and saved a milling crew on I-65 from a heavily intoxicated driver, who was going down the wrong way during a high-speed chase through a construction zone. He turned directly into the median immediately after hearing the radio call and seeing the police lights. “Three other teamster drivers did the same thing right behind me,” said Honey. Cases like this are not unheard of in this industry. The Truckload Carriers Association’s Highway Angels program has awarded over 1,300 drivers for acts of heroism, kindness and humanity on the highway over the last 20 plus years. These cases are not included in highway safety statistics and to date, William Honey has not been recognized by that award.

William Honey’s story was later memorialized by Long Haul Paul’s song The Ballad of Porkchop Honey.

Drivers relax and enjoy each other’s company during the annual Truckers Jamboree celebration at the Iowa 80 Truck Stop on Friday, July 15, 2022. Grilling and makeshift social events like this used to be a common sight at truck stops but today it's a rarity. Truck stops banned cooking in the lots to increase food sales and the high turnover rates in the industry have eroded a sense of community amongst drivers.

Seattle, Washington. June 2022.

Seattle, Washington. June 2022.

A decorative display as seen in Nobles Truck Stop in May of 2022. Historical influences of the old west are frequent in trucking culture. One popular example of that would be the song "Last of the Cowboys" by Tony Justice.

Bernabe Reyes stands for a portrait at a carrot farm near Bakersfield, California.

Casey (right) and his father Jimmy Simpson (center) fix a turn signal on a 1983 Kenworth Cabover in their shop near Atlanta, Indiana. The Simpson family operate a small fleet of mostly pre-99 trucks, which they repair, overhaul, upgrade, and restore themselves.

Diesel mechanic, James Skinner, overhauls a 14 Liter Detroit Series 60 at Cross Diesel Repair in Corinth, Kentucky. There is a concern that smaller family-owned companies like these won’t have access to the software, certifications, or tools required to work on autonomous vehicles.

Kristen Day stands for a portrait at her job at ARI Legacy Sleepers in Shipshewana, Indiana. Kristen is a veteran welder and has built RV's and Semi-Truck sleeper extensions for the last two decades.

Sean Cross relaxes with his son Corbyn after helping build a new garage for his parents at their house near Corinth, Kentucky on Saturday, July 23, 2022. The Cross family is heavily involved with the trucking industry. Sean owns a diesel repair company with approximately ten employees and his mother, Rhonda, (center) is a career teamster driver for UPS, which enjoys some of the highest paying salaries in the trucking industry.

Paul Marhoefer as seen through the reflection of his electronic log (ELD) display while on a trip to Florida in June 2023. ELD’s have been controversial in the industry. They were developed to increase safety by ensuring Hours of Service regulations were being followed. However, a recent study from the University of Arkansas has found that electronic logs lead to an increase of unsafe driving violations, as drivers sped up to make up for lost time.

A photographed screen from a promotional video from Daimler Truck North America's page on You tube. Daimler is the manufacturer of the popular Freightliner Cascadia trucks. These trucks already have significant baseline autonomous features built into their current production trucks, which is expected to make full autonomous conversions easier as the technology develops.

A ghost worker interacts with a driver remotely at the guard shack of an Amazon Fulfillment Center. Large Language Models are already replacing drive-thru ordering jobs in the fast-food industry. This type of remote interaction with drivers is a very similar task.

Houston, Texas. June 2022.

Workers as seen in an outdoor break room at an Amazon Fulfilment Center. Amazon has invested in several autonomous trucking companies. Line haul trucking jobs, between warehouses like this, are at high risk of being automated due to the predictability of the routes and often being conveniently located outside of urban centers. In 2021, Amazon bought a 20% stake in Plus.AI and ordered 1,000 retrofit kits to begin upgrading their existing trucking fleet with autonomous technology. According to reporting from Forbes, that order was being filled at scale in 2022.

Remnants of a forest fire along I-5 in California in June of 2022. There is an emerging concern that autonomous trucking could increase total petroleum consumption by changing the way freight is moved throughout the transportation industry and increasing the total vehicle miles being driven. The demands of this industry also create significant obstacles for green energy alternatives and electrification, due to limitations from battery technology, charge times, and electrical grid capacity.

An oil field as seen on CA-46 near Lost Hills, California on Monday, June 26, 2022. Trucking alone accounts 14.5% of total petroleum consumption in the United States.

A trucker’s family as seen on the shoulder of I-75 near Bellville, Florida on Tuesday, June 27, 2023. Truckers occasionally pick up loads to desired locations and use it as a way to take an affordable family vacation.

An autonomous truck from Aurora Trucking heads down I-45 from Palmer to Houston, Texas. Aurora has stated that their trucks are “feature complete” and expect to launch commercially by the end of 2024.

Jason lights a cigarette while waiting for a load at a distribution center in Texas.

Jason enjoys the wind while driving through Texas on Monday June 27, 2022.

Monica sleeps in the back of the truck while her husband Jason finishes their night shift at a distribution facility near Oklahoma City on Monday, June 27, 2022. Monica and her husband Jason are a husband-and-wife drive team who live on the road full time with their two dogs, Nellie an Porthos. The family chases the highest paying freight rates across the country and is part of a small but vibrant community of permanently nomadic truckers.

Horses as seen at dawn from the northbound lane of I-35 near Oklahoma City on Monday, June 27, 2022.

Jason drives through Dallas, Texas while enroute to Houston in June of 2022.