No driver, no problem

摘要

IF YOU TALK TO ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY, YOU'D THINK THAT self-driving vehicles would be dominating the streets by next week. Sure, we're seeing plenty of automated guided vehicles (AGVs) replacing some forklifts and walkie riders in beverage warehouses across the country, but when it comes to road-worthy equipment outside the four walls of the distribution center, any meaningful deployment - especially in the beverage direct-store-delivery (DSD) space - is still many years in the future. Still, the technology is developing rapidly and the future could be here before we know it.In its recent report titled "Self-Driving Truck Market by Level of Autonomy and Industry Vertical: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2025," Allied Market Research estimates that the global self-driving truck market is valued at just more than $1 billion. The Portland, Ore.-based company projects that, five years from now, that value will increase to nearly $1.7 billion - a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4 percent through 2025.The Allied study found that such factors as rising environmental concerns and increasing road accidents are driving the growth of the global self-driving truck market. Likely to hinder further growth of the technology are automation-related security concerns.