PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Q. ROO.- The trucking industry is one of the sectors experiencing the greatest surge in technological innovation. The promise of autonomous vehicles goes beyond modernizing fleets; they also aim to transform road safety, reduce emissions, and open up new forms of logistics operations.

During his participation in Top Flotillas  and  LOGEX  2025, Andrés Omaña, Director of Operations and Sustainable Mobility at ECOBICI , emphasized that driving automation can reduce accidents by up to 90% , an argument that directly affects the freight transport industry.

“It’s much safer to drive a self-driving car than one driven by a person,” he noted.

The interest is no small matter; the specialist noted that companies in the sector in other countries are working on tractor-trailers that use sensors to map obstacles and react up to nine seconds in advance, even in adverse conditions, such as sandstorms or nighttime routes.

Pony AI , from China, is already developing fully autonomous tractor-trailers, while Gatik has made more than two million deliveries for Walmart in the United States and Canada, specializing in middle-mile journeys.

The rationale behind these tests is that if 40% of fatal road accidents occur at night, and a large proportion involve trucks, the mitigation potential with autonomous units is enormous.

Furthermore, the operating model is attractive to supply chains: vehicles capable of operating almost 24 hours a day, with minimal breaks for charging or maintenance, maximizing utilization and reducing costs per kilometer traveled.

Although regulations in Mexico only allow Level 2 technologies (advanced assistance functions in brands like Mercedes-Benz , Audi , or Tesla ), the international benchmark provides a glimpse into the direction the market is headed. In the United States, Waymo has already accumulated more than 10 million trips and plans to grow to 7,000 vehicles by 2026, with a proven decrease of up to 88% in serious incidents involving human drivers.

Micromobility is also gaining ground: electric bicycles, scooters and public rental systems that, according to the consulting firm McKinsey , will generate investments of 360 billion dollars (mdd) in 2030. In this area, Omaña recalled the example of Mexico City, which already operates the largest public bicycle system in Latin America and where vehicle restrictions force a rethinking of the last mile.

The point of convergence is culture. For Generation Z , owning a car is no longer a priority; they prefer to get around by scooter, electric bike, or even a robotaxi. This shift in mentality, coupled with the pressure for safety and sustainability , will set the pace for the adoption of autonomous vehicles in transportation and beyond.

Comment and follow us on X:  @karinaquintero  /   @GrupoT21

El cargo Autonomous vehicles, a safer route to the mobility of the future apareció primero en T21.

I hesitated for a moment before opening the rear door. There was no one to greet , no driver, no music playing from the dashboard; but there was the faint hum of the electric motor, and I received a greeting and a welcome aboard.

I got in, closed the door, and the vehicle, a white Jaguar I-PACE , moved off as if it had a mind of its own, carefully obeying every signal.

We moved through the streets of Austin, every brake was precise, every curve millimetric.

When we arrived at our destination, the car stopped and wished me a good day, while the door unlocked automatically.

I got off the unit still feeling like I had experienced something that until a few years ago seemed like science fiction; the future had not only arrived, it had taken me for a ride .

But would these types of technologies be viable in Mexico? I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if one of these vehicles were to circulate in the chaotic Mexico City, where lack of infrastructure, traffic, and poor road safety are the order of the day.

In the United States, few cities already have this technology. Waymo , for example, only offers service through Uber in Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Austin , and will soon offer Atlanta and Miami, while companies like Volkswagen are already looking to offer this same service in some cities.

In Mexico, electromobility is just gaining ground. However, in conversation with an interviewee, he mentioned Mexico’s great potential in the aerospace industry, where even flying vehicles are being developed.

In this regard, the Autonomous University of Guadalajara (UAG) has described in an article that the development of autonomous mobility   and its mass adoption face significant regulatory and ethical challenges , especially in countries like Mexico.

However, Erick Eduardo Guzmán Quezada, a professor and researcher at the UAG and an expert in artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, highlighted in the article that the implementation of autonomous cars in Mexico could revolutionize road safety.

The landscape for freight transport is no different. Although brands like International and Volvo have already developed this type of technology for heavy-duty vehicles, testing continues in countries like the United States, which has better infrastructure.

Global mobility is advancing by leaps and bounds. Will we be able to adapt to ever-increasing technology and innovation?

Comment and follow us on X: @jenna_GH_/ @GrupoT21

El cargo The future takes the wheel: a self-driving Uber ride apareció primero en T21.