The Effects of Truck Platooning on the Kansas Workforce

Kondyli, Alexandra; Mahajan, Kirti; Schrock, Steven D. · 2024 · ROSA P / Kansas Department of Transportation. Bureau of Research

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Summary

This study evaluates the expected impacts of truck automation and platooning on the Kansas workforce and formulates strategies to mitigate potential negative effects. Motivated by severe driver shortages, rising fuel costs, and concerns regarding job displacement from automated vehicles, the research aims to understand stakeholder concerns and identify opportunities for adoption. The authors conducted a two-phase study: first, a systematic literature review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines to identify stakeholder concerns, potential solutions, and six distinct platooning scenarios ranging from human-human platooning to fully automated facility-to-facility transport. Second, the study compiled insights from industry professionals, workforce members, and policymakers through structured surveys and focus groups. The survey included 217 participants, comprising 89 logistics industry professionals (managers and owners) and 128 workforce members (long-haul and short-haul drivers). Additionally, six key officials from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s freight advisory and automated vehicles committees participated in a focus group discussion to deliberate on survey findings. The analysis focused on assessing potential impacts, identifying concerns, determining preferred platooning scenarios, and outlining perceived solutions and stakeholder responsibilities. Results indicated that the first platooning scenario—human-human platooning where drivers remain in all leading and trailing vehicles—encountered the least workforce resistance. Stakeholders expressed readiness to adopt this scenario for infrastructure, technology, and safety applications. While participants held a positive attitude toward future automation-integrated scenarios, they emphasized the critical role of stakeholder collaboration in addressing challenges. The literature review highlighted that while automation offers benefits such as reduced fuel consumption and enhanced safety, it poses risks of significant job displacement, particularly for long-haul drivers, though new roles in remote operation and maintenance may emerge. The study concludes that gradual technology adoption and collaborative policy interventions are essential to manage workforce transitions and mitigate negative socioeconomic impacts.

Key finding

Human-human truck platooning, involving drivers in all leading and trailing vehicles, elicited the least workforce resistance and the highest stakeholder readiness for adoption compared to other automation scenarios.

Methodology

mixed_methods

Sample size: 217

Provenance

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tag success vector_similarity 24 2026-06-11
verify success 2 2026-06-10

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