Seth Clevenger on How Truck Drivers Are Adjusting to Disruptive Technologies

SHOW NOTES

Change isn't just coming to the trucking industry -- change is here!

Nearly everything we touch, eat and buy was brought to us on a truck. Approximately 3.5 million truck drivers transport 14 billion tons of freight (more than 70% of goods we consume) all across the United States every year. Yet truck drivers, and the trucking industry as a whole, is tremendously underappreciated and often ignored. Can we afford to continue ignoring an industry that is undergoing massive technological disruption that will impact our entire supply chain and economy in the next 20 years?

Charlie welcomes Seth Clevenger (Managing Editor at Transport Topics), who we've had the pleasure of having as guest speaker at our think tank, "Driverless Trucks Will Come Before Driverless Cars – Here’s How They Will Disrupt Everything." Charlie and Seth discuss how the adoption of disruptive technologies are impacting truck drivers, how these technologies are changing truck driving culture, and what might be needed to draw younger generations (millennials and, eventually, Gen Z) to the profession. The trucking industry is now facing a massive job shortage with over 90,000 trucking jobs needing to be filled each year in order to keep up with consumer demand -- while an aging trucker workforce prepares to retire (the average age of a truck driver is 55).

Seth offers great insight into an industry in need of solid solutions on how to innovate while being empathetic to truck drivers facing disruption. Check out Seth on Transport Topic's latest episode of their LiveOnWeb series, "Mega Trends in Trucking Technology" where they discuss blockchain and other technologies in trucking.

Charlie then shares a few resources (movies and podcasts) on the trucking industry (particularly on the culture of truck driving and what drivers experience) that may give us insight into the profession and keep us informed on the latest news on how emerging technologies are changing the industry.

MEDIA ON TRUCKING

Articles

The Future of Trucking by Uber (Part 1) and (Part 2) Will Automation Put an End to the American Trucker? The U.S. Is Running Out of Truckers

Movies

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) They Drive By Night (1940) Dual (by Steven Spielberg, 1971) Big Rig (Documentary, 2007)

Trucking Podcasts 

Red Eye Radio Let's Truck with Kevin Rutherford Freightliner RunSmart Hour Podcast Alice Isn't Dead  An American Truck Driver with Chris Polk TalkCDL Trucking Podcast Trucker Dump The Trucking Podcast Truck Driver 101 Ask the Trucker Live with Alan Smith MORE ABOUT SETH CLEVENGER Twitter: @sethclevenger LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-clevenger-449637aa/ Transport Topics: http://www.ttnews.com/ REACH OUT TO US AT: Website: tech2025.com/podcast-show Twitter: @JoinTech2025 Facebook: facebook.com/jointech2025 Email: [email protected] Charlie Oliver: Twitter - @itscomplicated