Annotated Bibliography
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have thrust its potential impact into public
awareness. From language models that can code in a variety of programming languages to
complicated machine learning algorithms that give investors an advantage, artificial intelligence
(AI) is quickly turning into the most significant technological innovation since the internet. One
of the more publicized types of AI is self-driving trucks. They have the capability to
meaningfully alter how we receive goods while making millions of jobs obsolete. Despite the
economic havoc it might wreak, our society should continue to push for the implementation of
self-driving trucks.
Costello, Bob. “Economics and Industry Data.” American Trucking Associations,
www.trucking.org/economics-and-industry-data Accessed 4 April 2023.
This website by the American Trucking Associations contains various data points on the
economics of professional trucking. The American Trucking Associations is the largest trucking
trade group in the United States, boasting over 37,000 companies as members. They perform
multiple services for the trucking industry, including research, lobbying, and litigation. The data
presented here is invaluable to ascertaining the size and importance of trucking in the United
States. It will be used to give meaning to the potential economic disruption that self-driving
trucks will bring, as well as impart the significance of trucking in our supply chain.
Issitt, Micah L. Robotics & Artificial Intelligence. Enhanced Credo Edition, Grey House
Publishing, 2021, Credo Reference,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=cat01128a&AN=scc.b2331689&site=e
host-live Accessed 4 April 2023.
The book Robotics & Artificial Intelligence gives a brief overview of the history of
automation and its impact on society. Its author, Micah L. Issit, is a prolific freelance writer. It
goes through many periods of industrialization, explaining the human costs of automation and
details political interventions that slowed it to benefit workers and limit the economic impact. It
also raises moral objections to automation that can be applied to self-driving trucks, including
how it should be viewed as a tool to benefit humanity. This book will give important historical
context to the argument essay, explaining how there have been periods of significant societal
change because of automation. It will also serve as an example of the reservations people might
have for self-driving trucks.
Nævestad, Tor-Olav, et al. “Safety Culture, Safety Management and Accident Risk in Trucking
Companies.” Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour, vol.
73, pp 325-347 Elsevier Ltd, July 2020, Science Direct, doi: 10.1016/j.trf.2020.07.001
Accessed 4 April 2023.
This scientific journal article, created by the Institute of Transport Economics, documents
the lengths that trucking companies go to implement safety standards and the number of fatalities
caused by trucks on the road. The Institute of Transport Economics is a non-profit Norwegian
foundation that researches numerous transportation methods. This article is important for its
discussion of the wide-ranging safety standards, their impact, and the fatalities that happen
despite their efforts. It will be utilized as an example of how self-driving vehicles, with their
promise of additional safety, are morally necessary to reduce deaths and serious injuries.
Semuels, Alana. “Why Is Inflation Rising Right Now? A Stuffed Toy Shows Why.” Time, 17
Aug. 2021, time.com/6088033/why-inflation-is-rising/ Accessed 4 April 2023.
This news piece by Time uses the journey of a stuffed animal, from its creation in China to
its destination in California, to illustrate the inflationary pressures caused by the supply chain
disruption in the middle of 2021. It also describes the truck driver shortage and transportation
cost increases that persist in 2023. Time is an independent bi-monthly news magazine. This
article gives an over-arching view of the contemporary supply chain. It will be used as an
example of the potential for self-driving and truck automation to improve the delivery of goods,
increasing the quality of life for us all.
Talebian, Ahmadreza, and Sabyasachee, Mishra. “Unfolding the State of the Adoption of
Connected Autonomous Trucks by the Commercial Fleet Owner Industry.”
Transportation Research Part E: Logistics & Transportation Review, vol. 168, Elsevier
Ltd, Feb. 2022, Science Direct, doi: 10.1016/j.tre.2022.102616 Accessed 4 April 2023.
This scientific journal article, a joint effort by the Iranian Isfahan University of
Technology and the University of Memphis, cites many different studies and real-world
examples to illustrate the current state of AI in trucking. It details how fully driverless trucks are
a distance away and how other forms of AI can help increase safety and efficiency in the near
term. It also explains specific regulations that pose as roadblocks to full adoption of self-driving
trucks. This paper will be used as an example of how self-driving trucks can be slowly
transitioned towards, reducing the economic shock of lost jobs while improving safety and
efficiency.