Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on US roads

By TOM KRISHER
AP Auto Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Within three or four years, thousands of  self-driving tractor-trailers are expected to travel on America’s public freeways. The goal is for the trucks, which can run nearly around the clock without any breaks, to speed the flow of goods, accelerating delivery times and perhaps lowering costs. The companies say the autonomous trucks will save on fuel, too: They don’t have to stop and will drive at more consistent speeds. But the vehicles have drawn skepticism from safety advocates, who warn that with almost no federal regulation, it will be mainly up to the companies themselves to decide when the semis are safe enough to operate without humans on board.