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Same with many charities as well; they're created for PR & tax purposes, not to serve any actual public good.

Not in this case. The "last mile" of freight distribution currently needs trucks (just imagine a city full of freight train tracks), and if these trucks could operate on their own, the likelihood of truck-bicyclist accidents alone could drop massively - not to mention the massive reduction in freight costs because the most expensive part (the human) is eliminated.

Not to nitpick, but fuel is the most expensive part of trucking. [1] And Level 4 automation ain't happening in long-haul trucking (in the U.S.) for a while [2].

1: http://news.trucker.com/trucker-jobs/equipment-driver-pay-pu...

2: http://news.trucker.com/technology/long-road-autonomous-truc...

> because the most expensive part (the human) is eliminated.

I think the fuel (6 mpg!) and capital costs of the truck are considerably larger than the wages of the man driving it.

Perhaps once labour costs are eliminated you can also improve efficiency by driving more slowly (in a truck-only lane on the freeway). You could also draft just behind other trucks. Finally I suppose you could be whatever shape is most efficient for slipping your cargo through the air without needing to worry about accommodating a pesky human.

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