US Representative Ro Khanna issues a dire warning that millions of truck and long-haul drivers will likely be out of a job if the government fails to establish guardrails on AI and autonomous vehicle innovation.
In October, reports emerged that a US Senate report found that AI and automation could replace about 100 million jobs in the next decade, with 47% of truck drivers likely to be displaced.
Amid the AI job displacement backdrop, Khanna says the trucking sector faces serious disruption without clear rules to protect the workers most exposed to automation. He warns that AI adoption should not be pursued as a shortcut for corporate profits that offer no real gains to the broader economy.
“We need smart regulation to protect 3.5 million truck drivers and 2 million long-haul drivers. AI should not be used for mass layoffs that drive up short-term profits with no productivity gains.”
Khanna emphasizes the continued importance of human oversight in a system that still depends heavily on safety, judgment and on-the-spot decision making.
“Drivers are needed for safety, oversight, edge cases and maintenance. I stand with humans over machines.”
He also raises the idea of taxing AI to support public programs as technology reshapes labor markets.
“I think taxing AI to invest in education, healthcare and jobs makes sense. But [we] also should think about how to make AI in a way that increases the truck driver’s productivity instead of just automating.”
Khanna contrasts automation that simply shifts value away from workers with technologies that expand overall economic output.
“There is a difference between automation that simply has a distributional impact from labor to capital and tech like electricity or cars that increase total factor production.”
The California Representative urges policymakers and developers to prioritize AI systems that strengthen human capability rather than replace it outright.
“We need pro-worker AI that enhances human capability… [Developers] need to evolve the role for drivers, not eliminate them, and must consider how to transition while adopting technology. The bottom line can’t just be corporate profits like it was early in the industrial revolution or globalization. We still have pilots on planes!”
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