AI exposure: Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
Drive a tractor-trailer combination or a truck with a capacity of at least 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW). May be required to unload truck. Requires commercial drivers' license. Includes tow truck drivers.
Reading this score
computedAt 25.1% of weighted task load, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers sits at the 47th percentile, below the point where a job's centre of gravity has moved. 61.5% of what this role does is untouched, meaning current systems cannot produce that work at all, whatever the commercial incentive.
What holds the line here is embodiment. Across this occupation's 29 tasks it averages 2.17 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions. In plain terms, the work has to happen in physical space. A language model cannot move matter. Until the robotics to do this work is both good enough and cheap enough to deploy widely, capability in software does not reach it.
The most exposed thing this job does is Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes, at 93.3%. The least is Wrap and secure goods using pads, packing paper, containers, or straps, at 0.0%. A gap of 93.3% between two parts of the same job is the reason this index publishes at task level. An occupation-wide number would have hidden both.
Within transportation and material moving occupations, this one is more exposed than most. The median across the 52 roles in the group is 24.2%, and only 22 of them score higher than this. Occupational families are not uniform, and the spread inside them is often wider than the gap between them.
What would move this score. Of 29 tasks, 11 are currently banded exposed, 1 assisted and 17 untouched. For that distribution to shift materially would take robotics cheap and reliable enough to deploy at scale, not a better language model. The score is re-computed every quarter against a fresh capability reference, and the change is published rather than quietly applied.
Where the score comes from
judgedEvery task is scored through the standardised work activities it maps to. These are this occupation’s averages on the six rubric dimensions. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 1.43 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 2.17 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.66 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.93 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.16 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.45 | 0-3 |
Task by task
29 tasks, O*NET 31.0| Task | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Importance | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read and interpret maps to determine vehicle routes. | 93.3% | 6.7% | 0.0% | 4.40 | exposed |
| Maintain logs of working hours or of vehicle service or repair status, following applicable state and federal regulations. | 73.3% | 26.7% | 0.0% | 4.57 | exposed |
| Collect delivery instructions from appropriate sources, verifying instructions and routes. | 61.3% | 26.2% | 12.5% | 4.48 | exposed |
| Inventory and inspect goods to be moved to determine quantities and conditions. | 55.0% | 20.0% | 25.0% | 4.28 | exposed |
| Check all load-related documentation for completeness and accuracy. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.63 | exposed |
| Read bills of lading to determine assignment details. | 50.0% | 25.0% | 25.0% | 4.56 | exposed |
| Plan or adjust routes based on changing conditions, using computer equipment, global positioning systems (GPS) equipment, or other navigation devices, to minimize fuel consumption and carbon emissions. | 42.5% | 32.5% | 25.0% | 4.13 | exposed |
| Report vehicle defects, accidents, traffic violations, or damage to the vehicles. | 37.5% | 37.5% | 25.0% | 4.55 | assisted |
| Obtain receipts or signatures for delivered goods and collect payment for services when required. | 36.7% | 13.3% | 50.0% | 4.60 | exposed |
| Operate equipment, such as truck cab computers, CB radios, phones, or global positioning systems (GPS) equipment to exchange necessary information with bases, supervisors, or other drivers. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.31 | exposed |
| Follow special cargo-related procedures, such as checking refrigeration systems for frozen foods or providing food or water for livestock. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 4.10 | exposed |
| Give directions to laborers who are packing goods and moving them onto trailers. | 30.0% | 20.0% | 50.0% | 3.64 | exposed |
| Check conditions of trailers after contents have been unloaded to ensure that there has been no damage. | 13.3% | 11.7% | 75.0% | 4.37 | untouched |
| Crank trailer landing gear up or down to safely secure vehicles. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 4.60 | untouched |
| Maneuver trucks into loading or unloading positions, following signals from loading crew and checking that vehicle and loading equipment are properly positioned. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 4.50 | untouched |
| Drive trucks with capacities greater than 13 tons, including tractor-trailer combinations, to transport and deliver products, livestock, or other materials. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 4.46 | untouched |
| Drive trucks to weigh stations before and after loading and along routes in compliance with state regulations. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 4.31 | untouched |
| Operate idle reduction systems or auxiliary power systems to generate power from alternative sources, such as fuel cells, to reduce idling time, to heat or cool truck cabins, or to provide power for other equipment. | 11.7% | 13.3% | 75.0% | 3.84 | untouched |
| Check vehicles to ensure that mechanical, safety, and emergency equipment is in good working order. | 10.0% | 15.0% | 75.0% | 4.61 | untouched |
| Inspect loads to ensure that cargo is secure. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.62 | untouched |
| Perform basic vehicle maintenance tasks, such as adding oil, fuel, or radiator fluid, performing minor repairs, or washing trucks. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.53 | untouched |
| Couple or uncouple trailers by changing trailer jack positions, connecting or disconnecting air or electrical lines, or manipulating fifth-wheel locks. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.52 | untouched |
| Load or unload trucks or help others with loading or unloading, using special loading-related equipment or other equipment as necessary. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.19 | untouched |
| Perform emergency roadside repairs, such as changing tires or installing light bulbs, tire chains, or spark plugs. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.95 | untouched |
| Remove debris from loaded trailers. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.76 | untouched |
| Secure cargo for transport, using ropes, blocks, chain, binders, or covers. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.66 | untouched |
| Follow appropriate safety procedures for transporting dangerous goods. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.66 | untouched |
| Install or remove special equipment, such as tire chains, grader blades, plow blades, or sanders. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 4.10 | untouched |
| Wrap and secure goods using pads, packing paper, containers, or straps. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | 3.94 | untouched |
Task text and importance ratings sourced from O*NET 31.0. Shares computed. The occupation score is the importance-weighted mean.
Occupations either side of this one
The four closest scores in the same occupational family, then the four closest anywhere in the index.
Read this carefully. Exposure is not displacement. A high score means current AI systems can produce this work, not that anyone will stop paying a person to do it. Adoption depends on economics, regulation and inertia that this index deliberately does not model. How the score is built.
What this means in practice
Most of this work is not reachable by current systems, so the immediate pressure is on the administrative edges of the role rather than its core: the scheduling, the reporting, the written records. That is where time is recovered.