TheaterFire

Jobs apocalypse now starting due to AI and dollar collapse . What is your plan ? This will hit trucking hard and these jobless workers will also flood into trucking bringing down the pay to even more poverty level

Posted by East_Indication_7816@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 170 comments

Jobs apocalypse now starting due to AI and dollar collapse . What is your plan ? This will hit trucking hard and these jobless workers will also flood into trucking bringing down the pay to even more poverty level

Reply to Post

170 Comments

Haunting-Ad788@reddit

I’ll be dead before AI can do a standard LTL route.
View on Reddit #78529293

GiantEnemaCrab@reddit

No but some guy who lost his job in IT can drive a truck and will enter the market to do your job for less money.
View on Reddit #78537104

PayAmbitious6108@reddit

Somw guy from IT has a fucking cdl? No? Who cares he's not trucking. Yes? Who cares he's qualified same as you
View on Reddit #78971331

mistman1978@reddit

Exactly..... and the same with all the trades.
View on Reddit #78837278

Rbolska@reddit

It’s not that easy, you act like getting a CDL happens overnight after getting laid off, you also act like company’s hire green trucks drivers right out of CDL school, you also act like companys dont put a starting salary/hours/cpm and like these guys are going in asking to do the job for less 😂😂 cmon any tech job is paying decent money, who’s gonna actively go into a job interview with a trucking company and say “I’ll do it for less” let’s be real lol
View on Reddit #78616029

Jeeper850@reddit

I know economics can be hard so let me clear this up for you… If you saturate a market with lots of people looking for jobs, the pay rate will drop. As someone who ran a driver school for a few years I can tell you that there are companies lining up to recruit green drivers right out of school so they can pay them pennies. You can get a CDL in 4 weeks from a driving school which happens to be less time than unemployment will pay out in most situations. There are also companies that have their own schools like Schneider.
View on Reddit #78741647

Rbolska@reddit

I’ve been driving for 20 years with a CDL, 5 of that owner operator, wages have only gone up regardless of driver need or saturation(from thousands of immigrants) freight always fluctuates, but never have I seen trucking wages go down, I know you want to sound smart, but being book smart and having common sense are two different things
View on Reddit #78741829

MissionControl2@reddit

This is actually me I was it for many years got laid off, so I started doing trucking, taking my CDL and plan to open up a business with dump trucking and other logistics
View on Reddit #78641646

MacaroonSudden9920@reddit

Wow — literally me.
View on Reddit #78618619

Appropriate-Let-193@reddit

They'll all be company drivers anyway. They'll get what they give them.
View on Reddit #78618531

HasCommonSense92@reddit

You're assuming that all of us wouldn't consider less pay v.s. no job. Some of us make what work where we can. If it doesn't, we work it out somewhere else. This is just how life goes.
View on Reddit #78614473

BearDrives@reddit

If they weren't good enough to last sitting behind a computer screen what makes you think they'll do any better behind the wheel? P.S. don't haul cheap freight and you don't have to worry about cheap replacements.
View on Reddit #78541311

Low_Bicycle_2846@reddit

I'm sure all the people rooting for us to be replaced by AI also see us as "not good enough".
View on Reddit #78604076

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

That’s me! I lost my job to AI 2.5 years ago and had to quickly pivot to something to put food on my table. I’ve been trucking OTR for 15 months now. There will be many many more of us coming. Also, this question by OP is the only real thing everyone in this country should be talking about right now. Truckers included, and yes, you tarp guys too.
View on Reddit #78555352

AccomplishedCup2241@reddit

Same here bro I got a comp sci degree
View on Reddit #78603223

CaseyJones37@reddit

That was my path but about 4/5 years earlier. Took a buyout but couldn't land a job back in IT so got behind the wheel August of 2022. Just now landed in decent work O/O.
View on Reddit #78587332

Silent-Room-4987@reddit

Anyone else from your contacts make the same or similar move? Eg. Go into the trades, or healthcare
View on Reddit #78562983

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

Two colleagues are thinking of jumping on CDL /trucking for a bit two. Until the real job pivot can be figured out. Another colleague bought a farm, two others moved overseas and working in travel. It’s been kind of random. I think most people are still figuring out what to do long term that makes sense (like I’m doing).
View on Reddit #78573525

AccomplishedCup2241@reddit

That’s new right now
View on Reddit #78603199

Hot-Garbage-1974@reddit

No one in IT is gonna get in a truck and haul freight. They'd rather starve to death lol.
View on Reddit #78580732

LadyTrucker23@reddit

Almost every time IT has a mass layoff, they migrate to trucking. It’s been going on for decades now. Whether they stay or not is a different story.
View on Reddit #78594861

Bright-Ad6621@reddit

Lawyers and medical professionals are doing it, so wtf is a IT guy with a cert and an online class most folks can take? There's a reason that sector is oversaturated and highly competitive.
View on Reddit #78580733

2handjunk562@reddit

They won’t survive 3 months! Lol
View on Reddit #78553917

Smooth_Archer_2792@reddit

Same, I’ll probably be dead before someone can poorly strapped down flatbed loads and fold tarps in 25mph winds in west Texas/plain states. I would say some Punjabi could take my jobs but it seems hard manual labor is not their thing, when they can do dry van for 89 cents per mile.
View on Reddit #78703745

Character_Ship488@reddit

I’ve been hearing for 20 years that computers are going to take all us heavy equipment operators out of the seat. We’ve had fully automated grade control since the 80’s and they still can’t figure out how to efficiently remove us from the equation. Truck drivers will be just fine.
View on Reddit #78569384

MoooooveOva@reddit

Autonomous commercial dry freight will be a massive thing very soon - large scale by 2030. A huge portion of the market is package delivery and other easy loads in enclosed trailers. Aurora Innovations is already hauling dry goods on Texas highways 24/7 and frac sand in Permian Basin. This is just the beginning. That being said, flatbeds, tankers, anything requiring manual labor is absolutely safe from self-driving for 20yrs minimum. Metro deliveries? Last-mile delivery? All need humans. There will be plenty of work for well-qualified professional truckers. UPS feeders, FDX and AMZN linehaul? Nother story there. These big fleet companies have poured billions into companies like Aurora and Kodiak.
View on Reddit #78787405

MarkFinancial8027@reddit

They need to hire experienced drivers first.
View on Reddit #78769310

cshrpmnr@reddit

7 years till retirement for me.
View on Reddit #78760831

TankLast1553@reddit

I'd like to see AI strap secure a flatbed! Good luck with that!
View on Reddit #78754188

astro_skull@reddit

Brother, I choose flatbed because AI can't chain, strap, or tarp. Let alone check the securements every 3 hour or 150 miles.
View on Reddit #78529738

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

The warehouse can chain, tarp and strap. The guy at truck stops responsible for cleaning the showers and piss bottles out the lot can be trained to check those securements and fuel the trucks. Ferriers weren't safe from cars and trucks, Detroit/Cleveland/Toledo wasn't safe from sending jobs factory jobs overseas (same with West Virginia coal mining), current middle management and entry level developers aren't safe from AI and neither are we. Please comfort yourself with bullshit excuses if you want, but please also prepare.
View on Reddit #78567077

Smooth_Archer_2792@reddit

I seen loads get loose 3 miles out of the job site, not every load is a perfect shape to tight down and let it wait for 3 hours/150 miles, sometimes you have to move out and as soon as you get out of town tighten it again.
View on Reddit #78703845

bingius_@reddit

Bad to get comfortable with the warehouse chain, tarping, and strapping flat beds. Like yeah I get they probably should do it. But I’ve seen these idiots seal doors wrong, like on a fairly frequent basis. I’ve also seen them cut the metal seals and throw those into the yard while they’re next to a trash can. You’re gonna trust the strap of someone who doesn’t give a fuck about your job?
View on Reddit #78573364

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

We trust truck drivers who don't give a fuck about their job. Bluetooth strap photos get uploaded daily, I see flapping tarps all the time out here. I'm just saying, these aren't valid reasons why self driving trucks can't replace us.
View on Reddit #78573662

AutoModerator@reddit

We don't discuss those abominations, for I am your true master *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Truckers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
View on Reddit #78573664

nekaiser@reddit

Shut up, stupid. I am a not bot, and this action was not performed automatically. [Please contact the lot lizards of Lamar Ave](https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ?si=ki9RF8qTkiX3cfnM) if you have any questions or concerns.
View on Reddit #78619726

UOLZEPHYR@reddit

Half of these DCs and warehouses cant even count, let alone throw a load lock properly. Prepare yes, but I think its just a matter of time before it pops
View on Reddit #78615303

ParkingLot405@reddit

Now do car haulers. We have to park in the street and we can't get lot porters to even drive them into the lot after we unload. You think they're going to go out and play frogger IRL so the transport company can go driverless?
View on Reddit #78576972

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

Test
View on Reddit #78591278

ParkingLot405@reddit

You can't even get truckers to do it unless they're getting paid six figures. Good luck getting some lot porter to go into traffic, operate hydraulics, unchain/unstrap cars, drive the cars off of the semi, and into the lot. All car haulers are one-offs and operate differently as well. It takes a driver 2-3 weeks minimum to be able to operate their specific trailer. The manufacturers aren't going to develop an entirely new department to load/secure/unload cars. On top of that they would be taking on the damage liability when they get damaged during transportation. Good luck with that.
View on Reddit #78602893

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

You outlined the issue yourself. If it's costing a minimum of 6 figures per year, per driver. They will find a way to replace you. If they can have AI do the 80 percent of your job, driving down the road. Then the manufacturers will be heavily incentivized to figure out that other 20 percent. Replace 10 car haul drivers and that's already a million a year in savings.
View on Reddit #78604229

jmartin251@reddit

You mean the underpaid, hopped up on weed, and doesn't give flying fuck 20 something can do it. Yeah that shit will be right the window once a 47k pound could comes off a truck kills a family in a minivan. The first nuclear verdict that happens because there's no driver to pin the blame on they'll be begging for drivers because insurance will cancel every policy and won't insure driverless trucks.
View on Reddit #78589323

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

Nuclear lawsuits happen all the time. Your example will happen. The ai controlled truck that runs over kids at a school crosswalk will happen. What matters is economics and making commodities cheaper. Paying out a couple million a year in lawsuits is still cheaper than paying all the truckers.
View on Reddit #78591259

kndwy@reddit

Agree with you and I give 10-15 years max before seeing them taking over the roads. Locals may have even longer time. I see 2 options here, 1-heavily work on your retirement and 2-unionize to delay it a bit longer
View on Reddit #78595038

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

1 is the safe bet and 2 is a fever dream
View on Reddit #78595085

77rozay@reddit

lol we are so far away from that. Sure on paper those things can be done. But very trucker knows the unexpected BS that happens on the daily, AI/Robots/ truck stop workers can’t prepare for. Only thing you should be worried about for now is people coming in from other fields.
View on Reddit #78573418

forkystabbyveggie@reddit

If you're in your 50s and past, I wouldn't be concerned about losing your job. Just losing a significant portion of your income to inflation and rates not raising. Same as it's been since the 90s. "Far away from it" depends. I know that I'm not going to be able to make a lifelong career out of this. I know there's a lot of fear mongering out there, but also there should be some level of understanding that similar situations have happened in the past which lead to blue collar workers going straight into poverty and homelessness. This will be one of them.
View on Reddit #78573966

UOLZEPHYR@reddit

Flatbed, retail ready pallet to stores. Lemme see some clanker throw straps, twist twice, pull and secure down and then drive out the way. Business is expanding to ready mix soon, so we should be set for a while. Its basically a rush to see how many jobs AI can fuck up before the bubble pops and businesses realize they need humans
View on Reddit #78615254

30_characters@reddit

AI can't replace the drivers yet, but it can replace the dispatchers. Since those folks have more time to be online, and they can't imagine the industry without their involvement, you hear their panicking the loudest.
View on Reddit #78593109

Alternative_Air9618@reddit

They can’t deliver or load fuel either. I enjoy being a owner operator tanker yanker
View on Reddit #78586978

Head_Crash@reddit

All the people laid off due to AI and economic collapse can do those jobs. That means your pay goes down.
View on Reddit #78584388

Dangerous_Ad4451@reddit

A robot can
View on Reddit #78534504

dairydog91@reddit

The upfront purchase cost and maintenance costs of a robot sophisticated enough to do those tasks reliably is going to be way more than paying Cletus from PigFuck, Oklahoma to tarp and secure loads.
View on Reddit #78556609

Beginning_Ratio8422@reddit

Lmao stfu
View on Reddit #78537530

ResponsibilityTop732@reddit

So is the robot going to ride in the truck and get itself out to check a load?
View on Reddit #78534877

derpmcturd@reddit

No problem. My company requires 1 year accident free record to apply. They aint gettin in brotato
View on Reddit #78528215

Wishinani99awoodz@reddit

I was reading the comments and I was wondering if you meant 1 year accident free of any accidents or 1 year experience with cmv AND accident free?
View on Reddit #78531828

derpmcturd@reddit

1yr min cmv driving plus no accidents
View on Reddit #78595863

Wishinani99awoodz@reddit

thank you for clarifying.
View on Reddit #78678056

UhOhAllWillyNilly@reddit

Yes
View on Reddit #78539896

DirkVonDirk@reddit

You’d be shocked at how untenable the trucking lifestyle is to the average person. They’d do anything but this. I know, for us it doesn’t compute. Month of training, no degree, straight to a high level of income doing the easiest thing you can imagine and getting the prettiest views all the time. But for them the idea of being away like that, which 90% will have to for at least a year when they start, just isn’t palatable. I’ve tried to push so many people to it and they’d rather live in poverty than do this. I’ve successfully convinced maybe 3 people out of a couple hundred over the past 7 years.
View on Reddit #78647840

dakotadangerous@reddit

Reasons why I went specialized and have a decade of experience under my ass already. If you're poor as a trucker, you're doing something wrong.
View on Reddit #78611951

East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

How do I get into specialized ?
View on Reddit #78614488

gunsndonuts@reddit

If you're more than 2 years into your driving career and haven't moved into something that requires specialized training or knowledge by now you are doing yourself a disservice and are 100% replaceable.
View on Reddit #78610186

elgandhi92@reddit

Yeah but the dow is over 50,000 ☝️
View on Reddit #78605099

No-Put450@reddit

Kodiak.ai Aurora.tech Gatik.ai Just to name a few if you think trucking is safe from AI
View on Reddit #78602989

BingBongFyourWife@reddit

Wait til I silly string all the sensors on every ai truck I see
View on Reddit #78602990

jellyciferous@reddit

They’re selling AI hard, aren’t they? Waiting for the bubble to pop.
View on Reddit #78562702

BingBongFyourWife@reddit

Sore winners kick and scream a lot and will do anything to avoid it being realized that they’re actually losers Hence all the fraud and coverup bs that happens before any big bubble burst The kind of money invested in AI at the moment, it HAS to win, because everyone went all in on it The realization that it likely won’t…… I’m afraid it will be bad Staying at my job and saving
View on Reddit #78602763

ArmadilloWonderful22@reddit

Driving dump trucks,cement tankers,concrete trucks wide open at these data center construction sites,5 years of work, also construction work
View on Reddit #78596390

roytwo@reddit

"Jobs apocalypse now starting due to".... the incompetent trump administration, the one that most truckdrivers voted for, so FAFO the year before Trump, we averaged 328,000 new jobs a month, for the year 2025, we added a total of 181,000 for the entire year. AI is going to be an issue, in the future. But it is not currently causing the nation's weakening job market and the multi million reduction in job growth
View on Reddit #78537453

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

“Future”. See ya in 2 years
View on Reddit #78556003

roytwo@reddit

two years is the future. My point being is that AI is not responsible for that many job losses currently or for any in the trucking industry at this time. Today's job market issues are from different causes.. For the last ten Years I was driving I kept hearing driverless trucks were coming for our jobs. Been retired 5 years since and the number of driving jobs lost to driverless trucks is struggling to reach 10
View on Reddit #78594355

Freight-N-Wait@reddit

Can confirm: lost my job not long ago aftet 5 years there. Starting at tmc in a couple of weeks.
View on Reddit #78589829

InterestingTear5354@reddit

Can confirm: lost my job of going on 5 years a couple months ago. Starting with TMC in a little under 2 weeks.
View on Reddit #78587676

unkindled1@reddit

Good luck finding a fuel hauling company that will hire you with a fresh CDL and no city experience lol 😂 I’m not worried.
View on Reddit #78586410

Ok_Application_2292@reddit

I told everyone of my children they need to know how to work with their hands first That way they could at least handle themselves and make sure they could do some stuff without relying on others Then they can chase the white collar job
View on Reddit #78570799

aureliaan@reddit

Did they follow your advice? I have a young kid, so I am worried about his career prospects. I really want him to learn a trade first, get a cpuple of years work experience and then go to college (if he wants to).
View on Reddit #78585125

Ok_Application_2292@reddit

They really need to go to college out of high school so they’re still in the study habit Partial experience it’s tough to go back once you get a job and you get used to money and getting things that you wanted I would have them do some summer jobs at least Two out of three have gone into the blue-collar scheme of things My middle child is probably gonna be a library or professor
View on Reddit #78585702

Clean-Bake-5977@reddit

Ah yes, the classic “AI destroys every job, dollar collapses, everyone becomes a truck driver, wages drop to medieval levels” timeline. 📉🤖🔥 Because when accountants and software engineers get laid off, their first thought is obviously, “Time to back a 53-footer into a blind dock at 4 a.m. in the rain.” 🚛🌧️😌 Trucking has been “about to die” for decades. Fuel spikes, automation headlines, recessions, ELD mandates. Yet somehow freight keeps moving because people still eat food and buy stuff. 🥛🍞📦 Autonomous trucks can maybe handle a sunny highway in Arizona. They’re not backing into muddy dairy farms, dealing with scale houses, or navigating construction zones with zero lane markings. Reality is less sci-fi. 🌵🛑🚧 Also, flooding trucking isn’t as simple as signing up. You need: A CDL 🪪 Clean record 📋 DOT physical 🩺 Ability to tolerate 70-hour weeks ⏱️ Willingness to sleep in a metal box 🛏️🚚 Most people tapping away on Reddit wouldn’t last two weeks. ⌨️😅 Will pay fluctuate? Sure. It always has. 📊 Will it collapse to poverty because of a Reddit prophecy? Doubtful. 🔮🙄 If anything, skilled trades and regulated industries tend to lag behind tech disruption, not get obliterated first. 🛠️🏗️ The economy cycles. Freight cycles. Fear posts cycle. 🔄 Meanwhile, trucks still roll. 🚛💨 But hey, if the dollar truly collapses, we’re not arguing about CPM anymore. We’re trading diesel for canned beans and hoping the cows don’t unionize. ⛽🥫🐄✊
View on Reddit #78583330

srcorvettez06@reddit

Live off savings while looking for a new job. Starts selling stuff like the boat and race car. Worst case refi the house a pay the mortgage with the refi funds.
View on Reddit #78582332

Bright-Ad6621@reddit

Literally not a single mention of putting ones money into recession proof assets.
View on Reddit #78582333

WeirdTruckGuy@reddit

I’m not worried. My jobs secured. We got a guy that’s retiring soon anyway so some of the loads he does will become mine. Small company. Only 3 of us
View on Reddit #78527047

Kruten10@reddit

No job is ever secure
View on Reddit #78529599

Bright-Ad6621@reddit

Especially mom and pops.
View on Reddit #78582126

WeirdTruckGuy@reddit

Drivers keep wrecking Cascadias, it will be. Lol. Company I’m with exists because of the body shop. The full sleepers require modified RGNs to be trailered. We have them. We also have tow bars for the neck of our RGNs that allow us to self load the disabled trucks as well.
View on Reddit #78529698

East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

No load since low demand
View on Reddit #78527628

Automatic_Spirit_225@reddit

We just continue hoping people go out of business. The trucking market fixes itself over time as the people who run pricey operations get priced out.
View on Reddit #78530126

WeirdTruckGuy@reddit

The runs that think they can run bottom dollar rates will be the first to go. Quite a few have been dropping like flies already and it’ll continue happening.
View on Reddit #78530898

Automatic_Spirit_225@reddit

The ones who've been dropping like flies are the ones with truck payments on the spot market and the large companies that are grossly over leveraged.
View on Reddit #78531222

WeirdTruckGuy@reddit

That about sums it up there.
View on Reddit #78531360

WeirdTruckGuy@reddit

Nope. We haven’t had that issue. Even if we do have that issue, I can work in either our shop or warehouse for the day.
View on Reddit #78527669

freightliner_fever_@reddit

one of the beauties of working on a private fleet for a small company. you’ll always have, at the very least, a place of employment.
View on Reddit #78528503

WeirdTruckGuy@reddit

Exactly. I’ve been learning A LOT about Cascadia’s thanks to the guys I run for. And TriPacs…..starting to really want to idle from here on out. Lmfao.
View on Reddit #78528656

crudeshag@reddit

lol
View on Reddit #78530727

Outlaw11091@reddit

...I don't think you understand what trucking is. The whole reason we bitch that it's too easy to get a CDL is because THE ROAD is a filter for this job...it shouldn't be, because it's a FINAL filter that usually ends more than the driver's life, but IT IS. While "anyone" can drive a truck, few can do it safely, fewer can do it correctly and even fewer can do it for a long time.
View on Reddit #78534198

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

I think there’s a solution for that problem, they’re working on it…self driving trucks.
View on Reddit #78555857

Bright-Ad6621@reddit

With all the self driving startups that have gone bankrupt and the programs that have been canceled, especially after the crashes involving them.ovwr the past few years. Self driving trucks are at least another five decades out before insurance companies start biting.
View on Reddit #78581992

AutoModerator@reddit

We don't discuss those abominations, for I am your true master *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Truckers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
View on Reddit #78581994

Outlaw11091@reddit

Still running into the problem of the whole reason we have a job to begin with: Can't do it safely.
View on Reddit #78560625

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

Not for much longer.
View on Reddit #78560729

Outlaw11091@reddit

Shall we cry about it, then? Like, what's the point of your constant replies? Are you trying to convince me that I won't be working without knowing ANYTHING about me?
View on Reddit #78564855

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

Just warning you. Wish someone warned me.
View on Reddit #78573057

AutoModerator@reddit

We don't discuss those abominations, for I am your true master *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Truckers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
View on Reddit #78555858

Btomesch@reddit

Fear mongering. I’m sick of it and been hearing shit like this since I got into trucking in 2009. Applies to everything, not just trucking.
View on Reddit #78581252

CapitanObvio0084@reddit

Good thing we voted the smartest business man that will fix all these problems quickly 🤦‍♂️ if only this was true.
View on Reddit #78569604

Gilgamesh2000000@reddit

Hell yeah this what I voted for. Yeah trump
View on Reddit #78563758

bimbeauxnegative@reddit

This kind of fear mongering bullshit gets shared here once a month. You’ll be fine. There will always be freight. If you can’t calm down and it freaks you out that much, then find something else.
View on Reddit #78530156

LordChaoticX@reddit

Nobody wants this damn job anyways, it takes a special kind of crazy wanting to run nights
View on Reddit #78545886

Turbulent_Stay_2960@reddit

This is me... I work 60-84 hours a week doing a non climate controlled labor job thats nasty. I like working nights- looking to breakout into trucking later this year flatbedding- I know the attrition rate is high in trucking- its high AF where I am now but ive made it 10 years.
View on Reddit #78562085

b00gersugar@reddit

I’ve started down the cybersecurity route. I don’t know if that’s better or worse, but hey at least now I’ll have two skills ai can try and steal
View on Reddit #78560381

Truckermark10-4@reddit

This was a revision of lying to the country. It’s not actual jobs disappearing, it was just finally correcting the data after the last administration couldn’t create a job unless it was to cover up his supporters crimes. So pump up fake job numbers to make a president look coherent, and then blame the next guy when he finds out and has a revision with real numbers. No apocalypse here - just misinformation!
View on Reddit #78560106

cdfaison03@reddit

You are right. I’m in IT and I’m starting to study for my CDL now. After I get some experience I plan to get my own truck
View on Reddit #78558831

Neat-Big8950@reddit

You still have to have a CDL to drive and the 20 years I've been driving, it's always the same thing. The mega carriers are the only ones who will hire you without experience because they're self insured. Everyone else, the insurance companies, and there's only like two or three insurance companies left in the entire trucking industry now it seems, requires a minimum of two years, FMCSA verifiable experience before they will allow the trucking company to hire you. So unless you're a new driver starting out with no experience, you won't have to worry about competing with the sudden flux of temporary white collar workers losing their jobs to AI. And I say temporary because after years of ridiculing us and telling us this isn't a real job snd that anyone can do it, we're just steering wheel holders, etc, once they get into this industry and see what we deal with, they'll wash out after 3 months. Most won't even finish the OTR training before quitting.
View on Reddit #78558247

ErnestoLaganas@reddit

Is I'll just be a roofer the male equivalent of I'll just be a stripper?
View on Reddit #78527341

Beginning-World-1235@reddit

Naw that’s an electrician
View on Reddit #78527372

yeah-no-yeah-no@reddit

Electricians are going to rake cash during the AI job mayhem
View on Reddit #78555926

ChoasSeed@reddit

There already making machines that can roof
View on Reddit #78529877

SadnessOutOfContext@reddit

Jobs apocalypse my ass. This is a downward revision, clearly states. Why? Because this administration lies when it suits them and reconciles any facts later if and I ly if it's unavoidable. Also, AI will come for plenty of other jobs before it clmes wholesale for this industry. Anybody with self driving tricks right now is strictly a curiosity / experiment, not a threat. Would I tell a 21 year old to jump into the biz with both feet? Probably not. But I'm here because I'm 20 years from retirement. We won't see AI eating the industry in that time. Will it eat dispatchers and brokers in that timeline? Quite probably, but that's another problem.
View on Reddit #78554848

AutoModerator@reddit

We don't discuss those abominations, for I am your true master *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Truckers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
View on Reddit #78554849

J_cam202@reddit

AI robots can’t fuck a lot lizard. But I can! I guess the robot cant catch any STIs either though… damn it
View on Reddit #78554603

king_rootin_tootin@reddit

Autopilot has existed for six decades. Have airlines replaced pilots yet? Literally all they have is autopilot. There is no full autonomy with these things, as they've been exposed as using remote operators 10% of the time. This is all just smoke and mirrors to get money out of naive investors.
View on Reddit #78534527

jmzstl@reddit

Forget about planes, what about trains? They literally operate on a fixed track and you still need multiple people on a crew to run a freight train.
View on Reddit #78554591

bossboss1986@reddit

I've been watching this industry go downhill for 18 years. I didn't think autonomous would take over in my lifetime but look at TX and NC. CA has autonomous taxis and just allowed autonomous trucks. More and more autonomous is happening. What I did is put my girl back in school to become a Dr. She will be done this year and so will I. This is my last year in trucking and I'm moving on.
View on Reddit #78553857

Codexe-@reddit

It's the end of the world
View on Reddit #78551031

sam367537@reddit

If the AI crashes the truck , who is going to pay for the damages ? Companies would be out of their minds to even offer insurance to AI using companies
View on Reddit #78546779

Real_Gift2774@reddit

Everybody panic!! 😱
View on Reddit #78545848

nuNconfused@reddit

I’m not convinced that the so-called AI apocalypse is anything more than a very strategic social media campaign by Sam Altman and others in the industry to coerce wealthy institutional investors into investing their money in AI.
View on Reddit #78545624

Murkdonalds@reddit

“This will hit trucking hard” is a very dramatic and unrealistic statement to make lol. What evidence do you have to say that computer engineers will flood the trucking industry? If the economy is bad, and there isn’t a demand for more trucks, companies aren’t going to magically create jobs. Let’s keep thinking this one through lol
View on Reddit #78529511

East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

I’m a computer engineer
View on Reddit #78530139

UhOhAllWillyNilly@reddit

I was too for a couple of decades.
View on Reddit #78540073

Murkdonalds@reddit

You didn’t answer the question lol- how do you know CEs will flood into trucking? Also, if you’re really a CE, how/why do you know that rates are “poverty level” or going to be?
View on Reddit #78530565

East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

I drive a truck now . A lot of CEs I asked like my colleagues are interested in driving a truck . They like that the truck is modern , no meetings , easy job just driving they say . Look for a YouTuber named Rohit panda . He was a student of comp eng now owner operator .
View on Reddit #78530710

why_does_life_exist@reddit

most trucking companies are very tight on money for equipment. You know how much it would cost to replace or retrofit every big rig on the road. I think we're good for the next 20 years. Not only that the liability on the company having a driverless truck hauling hazardous material or expensive freight. GPS gets the dock location or route wrong about 50 percent of the time it doesn't matter how much lidar equipment you have, one wrong turn and all of sudden it needs to be towed back to the terminal. It's probably going to happen just not as fast as you think.
View on Reddit #78535682

ResponsibilityTop732@reddit

Indian?
View on Reddit #78534789

Outlaw11091@reddit

"Me and my limited bubble of people should serve as evidence to some point that I think I've made."
View on Reddit #78533810

Mstrchf117@reddit

Eh its not so much computer engineers going to become truck drivers, but they stop buying stuff they dont need. More jobs are lost when those companies lose money. Less loads being moved. The truckers that were hauling like luxury goods are now hauling necessities. So not necessarily "new" jobs but fewer jobs for the drivers that exist.
View on Reddit #78530554

Goldleader-23@reddit

So much winning
View on Reddit #78527778

UhOhAllWillyNilly@reddit

“It’s the beautiful most winning ever 2020 windmills Obama winning immigration Biden’s fault they say…”
View on Reddit #78540024

Deadbeatdone@reddit

I think the fact that they want to replace everyone on earth with an Ai is just proof that the rich wish they could kill us all but cant bc someone has to bring their groceries.
View on Reddit #78538404

Correct_Writer_3410@reddit

What's the source of this random cropped piece of text?
View on Reddit #78527194

East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

[https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2023084893169975534](https://x.com/KobeissiLetter/status/2023084893169975534)
View on Reddit #78527606

Correct_Writer_3410@reddit

That links to a graphic from a well known fake news website
View on Reddit #78528844

Haunting-Ad788@reddit

Yeah that’s a dogshit source but it did actually happen. They claimed 180k jobs for the whole year and then claimed 130k just for January lol.
View on Reddit #78529261

Deadbeatdone@reddit

Didn't the fire the one who wasn't a sycophant a few months ago?
View on Reddit #78538099

ResponsibilityTop732@reddit

Nah... these People coming from other countries need to stop flooding our industry and saturating our job market because it drives down rates because these People are so desperate that they'll work for cheap
View on Reddit #78534987

azziptac@reddit

Hey mom said its my turn to post the weekly "AI gonna take trucker jobs" post 🤡
View on Reddit #78537443

nastyzoot@reddit

Lmfao. Been happening tomorrow for the past 20 years my man.
View on Reddit #78534867

shibbledoop@reddit

The trucking economy has an overcapacity problem, not a demand problem.
View on Reddit #78529260

ResponsibilityTop732@reddit

Correct! Now if we can get the folks who are a danger to the motoring public off the road so we don't see anymore idiots with feet on the dash and phone in hands. That would be amazing
View on Reddit #78534734

PathofEnlightment@reddit

They call that hands 🆓 driving
View on Reddit #78534862

ResponsibilityTop732@reddit

Scare tactic.... im not falling for this bullshit again. Quit fear mongering. We ain't gettin replaced anytime soon they may have technology but its not that advanced yet. They can say all they want but until it happens I ain't believing a word. Just remember those same people who started AI said we'd be replaced by now lol
View on Reddit #78534643

BearsAteMyGarbage@reddit

A lot of this is tech jobs, and a lot of those are actually just outsourcing masked as AI. One look at /r/AmericanTechWorkers and you can see they know they're being replaced by Indians abroad and Indians coming here via systematic H1B abuse. Trucking is not going anywhere besides some marginal decrease in capacity in the market (shitty companies from the covid era folding up shop)
View on Reddit #78534431

bentstrider83@reddit

I feel many will try it and few will stick with it. Typical chew up and spit out.
View on Reddit #78532956

Fresh_Historian_2851@reddit

I never had the luxury of staying at a job longer than a year anyways. it's a damn miracle if I stay at my current job for a year
View on Reddit #78532312

Defiant_Network_3069@reddit

You should leave now and beat the rush out the door then. The demand in my field of trucking isn't going anywhere. I may not be doing it but the job itself will always be in demand and needed. Also very well paying too.
View on Reddit #78531587

Defiant_Network_3069@reddit

😆😆😆😆
View on Reddit #78531431

overpaidlazytrucker@reddit

I am not worried trucking sucks and most people know that. I guess it be similar to janitorial work where nobody really wants to do it.
View on Reddit #78530970

Kruten10@reddit

It’s already happening. Keep the job you have.
View on Reddit #78529571

Dezzolve@reddit

Literally every other source online contradicts what you are posting. Just google it.
View on Reddit #78529091

Rdtisgy1234@reddit

I think they will flood into every other blue collar industry as well. Not just trucking, so hopefully we all share the pain.
View on Reddit #78526874

East_Indication_7816@reddit (OP)

No load since low demand
View on Reddit #78527176

Dezzolve@reddit

What do you have to say about the guy that tracks market rates every month showing increased rates in just about every field of trucking?
View on Reddit #78528982

Rdtisgy1234@reddit

Well that’s always a concerned with economic downturns.
View on Reddit #78527271

Existing_Meeting_318@reddit

Things always fluctuate
View on Reddit #78528734

Beginning-World-1235@reddit

Idk I still got a job so I’m chillen and I’m pretty good at it. No wife, no kids, no mortgage. Life ain’t bad, I’ll see what happens.
View on Reddit #78527330

curlyfat@reddit

I have a wife and kids, and essentially have a very very low mortgage. I’ve been laid off twice in my life before and always came out the other side. And now my kids are all legal adults so that’s mostly less pressure. Basically, I’m with you. I’m not exactly worried about it, and if it happens, I’ll survive like always. (I’ve also seen my company struggle to keep drivers in the other two trucks they have, so it’s no where near saturated in my very specific situation).
View on Reddit #78528128

OceanLibra@reddit

When does the greatness kick in?
View on Reddit #78527936

ChoomBurner@reddit

Fuck AI
View on Reddit #78527645

Negative1Positive2@reddit

No, we have the best economy! We're so hot right now! Other world leaders are amazed at our numbers with tears in their eyes!
View on Reddit #78527485