DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Attorney and traffic safety expert Amy Witherite, who has spent more than 30 years handling trucking safety cases, was among the first to warn that autonomous 18-wheelers pose unacceptable risks on U.S. highways. Now, she is being joined by prominent short sellers, industry insiders, and even OEM partners who say the technology is potentially unsafe and uneconomical.
āThese are 80,000-pound machines traveling at highway speeds next to families in passenger cars,ā Witherite said. āUntil there are strict federal safety standards, this rollout is reckless. The delay proves what many of us fearedāautonomous trucks are not ready, and the public is being used as the test track.ā
Others Share Witheriteās Concerns
- Kerrisdale Capital: Aurora Innovationās model is a āfantasy,ā predicting āa decade of continuous dilution before arriving at a dead end.ā
- Bleecker Street Research: Even Auroraās partners doubt its timelineāVolvo says mass production wonāt happen until 2030. The firm called Auroraās Dallas-to-Houston ādriver-outā route a PR stunt, noting trucks still require safety drivers.
- Immediately following Aurora’s initial driverless operations (starting May 1, 2025), PACCAR requested a human āobserverā be placed in the driverās seat. Aurora complied, relocating the observer from the back seat to the front, while maintaining that the Aurora Driver system remained fully responsible for all driving tasks.
- Volvo which also plans to make autonomous trucks is also cautious saying, “We are making significant progress towards driverless technology and will remove the safety driver only when we have thoroughly evaluated all factors and deem it appropriate,” Volvo spokesperson Ceren Wende told Axios.
Concerns About Economics
- Driver wages equal 35ā40% of costs, yet drivers still required for first/last mile.
- Autonomous rigs are projected to cost 50% more than traditional trucks.
āWashington needs to step up now with strict testing requirements and enforceable safety standards. Until then, putting driverless 18-wheelers on public highways is gambling with lives.ā
Amy Witherite is the founding attorney of Witherite Law Group and a nationally recognized traffic safety advocate. She has represented hundreds of families affected by trucking collisions. Call 1 800 Truck Wreck or visit 1800TruckWreck.com to learn more.
Contacts
Contact: Katherine Long
Phone: 214-368-0909
Email: [email protected]