Unmanned Kamaz trucks planned for use starting in 2028

Yeah, projects like that are actually developing. Kamaz is working on autonomous trucks. They'll appear gradually, starting around the end of this decade, but that doesn't mean drivers will disappear from the road - at the initial stage, operators will still be needed, then there might be a decrease in demand for workers, but it's a long process. Realistically, for now it's mostly in the sphere of specialized routes and testing, not mass use, so there's no point in rushing with predictions.

Technology is developing, but right now real autonomous driving mainly works on closed routes and test sites - between logistics centers, ports, quarries. On regular roads with pedestrians and traffic lights, it'll be partial automation for a long time, not fully driverless vehicles. If you're a truck driver and worried about your job, here's something useful to know: the demand for quality drivers with experience won't disappear - quite the opposite. Those who understand mechanics and can control vehicles manually will be worth their weight in gold when it comes time to step in and take over an autonomous system or work on routes where the robot can't handle things yet.

Driverless vehicles will definitely appear, but here's the thing - even when they start operating, demand for drivers won't drop immediately or everywhere. At first, these will mainly be long-haul routes between logistics hubs, where everything is controlled and predictable. The catch is that the transition period could be long and painful - like five to ten years, when the technology already exists but drivers are still needed, except their wages are falling because of uncertainty in the industry. Complete replacement is a matter of not just one decade, but possibly more.

The transition will be a long one - even when drones start appearing en masse on routes, drivers won't disappear; they'll retrain instead. Some will monitor vehicles remotely, others will move into complex urban deliveries where autonomy isn't yet possible. I know drivers who are already worried about this, but the logic is straightforward - if a vehicle breaks down on the road or an emergency situation arises, who's going to rescue it? A robot can't.

The main thing people often overlook is that even on closed routes, drones require constant maintenance, and that can't be automated 😊 There will definitely be fewer drivers, but we'll see specialists in diagnostics, repair of autonomous systems, and real-time monitoring pop up. The transition period will be long, and people who are willing to retrain will have pretty decent prospects.