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I love the photo showing your van and the Welcome to Alaska sign. Great trophy! Great run!

If your everything-outsourced, no-money theory is correct, would it not already be the case that car sales would be down to a fraction of what they once were? How much outsourcing and job elimination has to happen to see your no-money scenario develop? While much has changed, production and...

I believe you are correct. As the industry moves toward full automation, teams will be among the first to go. It may develop that two people live in the truck (for the life-on-the-road adventure) as teams do now but only one driver will work and be paid. It might even happen that big-sleeper...

Do you remember the Fuller Brush Man, the Avon lady, the encyclopedia sales person and the telephone operator? Millions of people once held these jobs. Now none or nearly none do. People still use brushes, make-up, organized information and telephones as much as before. Companies still offer...

Congratulations, beachbum! In 10 years of expediting, Diane and I hoped for but never got an offer for an Alaska run. You're on a legendary run that will create lifelong memories. Smart move picking up early when you could have picked up later. We're looking forward to hearing all about your...

All or nearly all major car manufacturers are developing self-driving cars. Truck makers are into this too: Autonomous Freightliner Inspiration truck Convoy of self-driving trucks completes first European cross-border trip (Volvo) About the economics, this TechCrunch article sums it up...

Human truck drivers produce catastrophic crashes again and again, and the insurance companies continue to insure them at affordable rates. Millions of test miles have already been logged by self-driving vehicles in real-world conditions. The accident rate is minuscule compared to human drivers...

When self-driving trucks and vans become the norm, I think the transformation will go further than that. The beginning and end of the freight transportation industry is the shipper and consignee. They need to move goods. If there was a way to do that without trucks and drivers (think Star-Trek...

As with truck jobs, so too with taxi drivers: Uber Begins Testing Self-Driving Cars in Pittsburgh In 2014, Uber CEO said, "When there's no other dude in the car, the cost of taking an Uber anywhere becomes cheaper than owning a vehicle. So the magic there is, you basically bring the cost below...

Technology has always killed jobs and it will continue to do so. As machinery became available, small farms gave way to large ones and the number of farmers declined. To save jobs, would you pass a law that limits farm machinery to a certain size? Would you limit farms themselves to a certain...

The company is called Otto. They are former Google engineers who have developed a kit that can convert your truck to a self-driving one. Volunteers are being sought to test this technology. More here. I've been a proponent of self-driving trucks since I first heard of the concept, but I have...

A good number of expediters do hang it up, each in their own way, though I don't think most would consider themselves failures. Diane and I knew one long-time FedEx Custom Critical team that got out to become resident managers of an assisted living facility. Concerns about their retirement...

Late breaking news: Setting up a first in the general election season, Elliott and Albanese agreed to a series of debates. In the preview press conference, Elliott outlined his plans to "Make Trucking Great Again." Albanese responded by citing her years of executive experience and touted her ...

I don't have unlimited money and I want one anyway! If it worked as advertised it would be a hoot to drive. Of course it would have to have a custom sleeper.

Batteries are charged by an onboard CNG turbine. Manufacturer says a driver could park the truck and stay in the climate-controlled cab for a week before the turbine needed to be run to charge the batteries. The battery pack is huge.

There is no plug-in. Batteries are charged by an onboard CNG turbine.

There are all sorts of Silicone Valley dreamers with money to provide the startup capital. This is the Tesla story for trucks.

This Nikola Motor Company class 8 tractor is fun to think about. It gets the imagination going. The company is taking reservations now. It says a working prototype will be shown by year-end and full production will begin in 24-36 months in a Utah plant. I'll believe that part when I see it, but...

Dull-orange, early to mid-2000s Century or Columbia Freightliner. White trailer featuring the name Sunco Carriers. Details here.

If you spend some money for good boxing or crating, you may be able to ship your goods LTL (less than truckload). If this is a true handle-with-care shipment, FedEX White Glove or similar services will meet the need.