MOSCOW : Driverless trucks produced by Russia's Kamaz have begun to carry cargoes across the snowy Arctic tundra for oil producer Gazprom Neft, the energy company said on Friday.
"The use of unmanned vehicles will increase the efficiency of the logistics of the company's northern fields and increase the volume of supplies of the necessary equipment and materials," Gazprom Neft said. Companies across the globe have poured billions of dollars into developing the driverless technology they say will increase road safety and alleviate truck driver shortages.
While the self-driving truck industry remains nascent in Russia, in the United States it is expected to rapidly grow over the next decade, with analysts estimating its size at between $250 billion and $400 billion by 2030.