Georgia is driving toward safer roads by investing in self-driving trucks

However, the system is under strain.

Lawmakers are laying the groundwork for reform

Credit: Courtesy

Credit: Courtesy

Georgia currently faces a dangerous shortage of truck drivers that’s so large that the Georgia Senate even created a standing Senate Study Committee on Truck Driver Shortages to study it.

As a result, truck drivers are working longer hours with minimal breaks, resulting in fatigue that contributes to more accidents.

On top of that, the average age of a Georgia truck driver is 52 years old with many on the edge of retirement.

The good news is that the Georgia legislature has already recognized this problem and has been laying the groundwork for an acceptable solution

Legislators passed a law eight years ago allowing autonomous vehicles, including driverless trucks on public roads, provided they meet strict insurance and safety requirements. The state’s ongoing dedication to this cause over the past 12 months has helped tremendously in advancing this technology.

Now, Georgia is proudly the home to the country’s first autonomous truck port. Human drivers still control the starting and final legs of each journey, but autonomous vehicles operate the long hauls. This is a perfect case for autonomy and ultimately making roads safer for everyone. This process lowers risks from driver fatigue, overnight driving, and poor road conditions, such as fog.

The data doesn’t lie. Georgia Tech researchers have found that automated freight networks reduce “empty miles” and keep supply chains moving even during disruptions. When goods get to the market faster it means savings for Georgia exporters, small manufacturers, and lower prices for consumers. The analysts project that trucking costs could be reduced by as much as 20% with help from automation. That means higher profits for Georgia-based manufacturers, exporters, retailers, and savings for families.

The result will be faster turnaround times at the Port of Savannah. This will make the state more attractive to global companies, boosting investments, contributing to job growth, tax revenue, and statewide small-business opportunities.

Next step is expansion and job training

Georgia takes pride in its history of leading the way in infrastructure transformation. We were among the first to modernize our ports, transforming Savannah into one of North America’s fastest-growing container gateways. We built the world’s busiest airport in Atlanta by recognizing early that mobility drives growth. Stepping up and adding autonomous freight will have us standing at the forefront of another transformative chapter, possibly securing our place as the logistics capital of the South for decades to come.

But this is where a new phase of work begins.

Companies will come to know Georgia as being open to responsible development – but Georgia needs to expand the type of high-tech corridors that are being developed in Savannah to other logistics hubs, from Atlanta to Macon to Augusta.

The statehouse should also prepare our workforce for this technological transition by partnering with community colleges and technical schools to train students for tomorrow’s logistics jobs as fleet managers, sensor technicians, data analysts, and safety operators.

If handled wisely, this shift could do more than move goods faster. It could redefine Georgia’s economy and its residents’ overall quality of life.

In many ways, it already is. Just check out the cleaner roadways and see for yourself!

Georgia’s economy has consistently thrived on technological adaptation, from agriculture to aerospace. If we continue to embrace autonomous freight and stay ahead of the national curve, we can ensure that trucks of the future not only move goods but keep Georgia moving forward.

Let’s hit the pedal to the metal and not look back.

Lynn Westmoreland served as a Republican member of Congress from Georgia from 2005 to 2017, where he sat on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.