This story appears in the December 2013/January 2014 issue of iTECH, published in the Dec. 16 print edition of Transport Topics. Click here to subscribe today.
A new "blue paper" by the research department of investment bank Morgan Stanley estimated that autonomous - "self-driving" - vehicles could save the freight transportation in?dustry $168 billion annually, through pro-ductivity gains and lower costs for labor, fuel and accidents.
Written by Morgan Stanley researcher William Greene, the report on the potential savings of autonomous vehicles for freight transportation is part of a broader study of "Autonomous Cars: Self-Driving the New Auto Industry Paradigm."
The report stated that "Longhaul freight delivery is one of the most obvious and compelling areas for the application of autonomous and semi-autonomous driving technology," leading the Morgan Stanley researchers to conclude that the technology "will be adopted far faster in the cargo markets than in passenger markets."
