Abstract

This study investigates the relationship of emissions reduction, technological transition, and employment dynamics within introducing autonomy to the trucking industry. Results highlight the urgency of adopting cleaner technologies and integrating autonomy to curtail greenhouse gas emissions. Despite additional emissions originating from manufacturing autonomous system components and additional maintenance operations, autonomous trucks offer fuel efficiency improvements and emission reductions compared to non-autonomous trucks. Employment implications reveal potential job losses due to automation overwhelming opportunities arising in autonomous system components manufacturing and maintenance, resulting in net losses of jobs within the industry. Transitioning from non-autonomous diesel trucks to autonomous battery electric trucks showcases a 50% reduction in emissions, highlighting the significance of combining autonomy and electrification in reducing emissions. The Green Employment Index is utilized to measure how green employment within the trucking industry is, unveiling a sustainable framework for job creation in tandem with emissions reduction. Based on this, for low penetration levels of less than 50%, transitioning from non-autonomous battery electric trucks to autonomous battery electric trucks offers the “greenest” employment opportunities.