Tests in Japan of driverless trucks, with four truck caravans driving thirteen feet apart with only the lead truck having a human driver, used 15% less fuel.
If driverless trucks become common, then millions of truck drivers (and workers in the businesses that support them, like truck stops) will be unemployed. I’m not convinced that a driverless truck or car can handle fast-moving situations like skids on ice or events they probably haven’t been programmed to deal with, like big earthquakes, as well as a human can. However, the trend is clear. Driverless vehicles are coming.