Hey, it's Ryan.

Our colleague, Eric Schwarzel, who you've heard from many times as a reporter will be hosting

the show today.

Here he is.

The American economy runs on trucks.

Really big trucks.

Virtually everything we buy spends time in one.

But for years, the trucking industry has been in turmoil.

A shortage of drivers, thin margins, and more recently, a pandemic that has brought even

more uncertainty to the business.

For many, the solution is obvious.

Trucks that drive themselves.

Autonomous trucking refers to the effort to automate semi-tractor trailers, so the big

rigs at Hall, Cargo, down the interstate, with technology that would use artificial intelligence

to drive the trucks.

The idea of being there would be no need for any human to be in the cab.

That's our colleague, Heather Somerville.

She covers technology.

And she says that for trucking companies, no humans behind the wheel means cutting costs.

It means solving those driver shortages.

And since robots don't sleep, it could even mean running trucks 24-7.

Many startups are working on making this logistics dream a reality.

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