Why the ‘Driverless’ Narrative Is Failing the Freight Industry

27 January 2026

Toby Patrick

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To many people, the thought of stepping into a driverless vehicle or being surrounded by them would seem risky. Yet despite this, according to many, the future of freight is driverless. But if we are moving towards a driverless future, we’re doing so more slowly than was expected. Is this an us problem, or is it a technology problem?

Modern silver train on tracks in an urban area, with mountains in the background. Visible power lines and a sign in the foreground.

Fear Before Function

There’s a lot of talk about driverless technology, but the action doesn’t match the talk. If we were to go back to the start of the millennium, I think most opinion leaders would agree that we’d be surrounded by driverless cars, trains, trucks and planes. Even in today’s current state of affairs, driverless vehicles seem to make the news regularly, but how many businesses are actually using the technology? How many people have stepped into a driverless vehicle? The numbers are pretty low, and there still appears to be a massive gap between marketing and adoption.

The Skill Shortage

The industry also appears to be at somewhat of a crossroads. Fewer people are undergoing transport training out of fear of a driverless future, but driverless technology isn’t at the point where it can replace traditional transport.

Not only does this contribute towards a driver shortage, but it has also contributed to a skill shortage in terms of developing driverless tech. While some are wary of entering the industry as a driver, others are viewing it from the opposite side, hesitant to step into technology-based roles in case the industry doesn’t come into fruition.

This is leaving the industry with an all-around shortage, and it may explain why the vision of a driverless future hasn’t taken off. In short, the industry is in desperate need of a recruitment-driven rebrand that attracts skilled drivers, engineers and startups to help transition us from one era to the next.

The Reality

We often fall into the trap of assuming that automation and robotics replace human jobs. The reality is that advances in technology often create new jobs and opportunities. If we are to achieve a driverless future, we’ll still need humans for quality assurance, legislation, maintenance and decision making.

Who Can Actually Build ‘Driverless’?

To bring the vision of driverless freight to life, it will require a first mover to prove that the vision is actually achievable. Often, this responsibility falls to a billion-dollar company to fund the research & development, infrastructure and marketing. Until we reach that point, driverless freight is likely to be beyond the reach of small businesses, which ultimately delays driverless freight from becoming the new normal.

Signs of Progress

On the subject of driverless becoming the new normal, it is positive to see signs of progress. Visible progress includes the driverless cabs that are becoming increasingly normal in places like Las Vegas. Obviously, driverless freight comes with far more complexity, but it does at least stress that society’s confidence in driverless vehicles is on the up.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t seem to be a question of if we will adopt driverless transport, but more a question of when. And we are certainly moving towards this, albeit slowly. With the likes of Tesla ploughing millions into driverless cars and driverless trains becoming increasingly common in some parts of the world, surely it’s only a matter of time until driverless freight becomes the new norm.

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The Grey Areas of Influencer Marketing

ITK Magazine
Jun 10, 2024
4 min read

Originally Posted June 7th 2021

Growing up with the internet, as I did, it’s of no surprise to me that traditional methods of marketing are failing to grab the attention of millennials and Generation Z. Many have wised up to the artifice and pretence of the advertisements that would’ve persuaded their parents and grandparents.

Today, brands must double down on their relatability and authenticity to cater to younger consumers. With an estimated buying power of over 600 billion dollars, it’s certainly within any brand’s interests to market themselves towards millennials.

They are a generation with the highest levels of brand loyalty, but it seems increasingly difficult to earn their trust from traditional marketing. Elite Daily’s study shows that ‘only 1% of the 1300 millennials surveyed said that a compelling advertisement would make them trust a brand more,’ suggesting that, ‘millennials believe that advertising is all spin and not authentic.’

Turning to streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+ for their entertainment, millennials are less likely to watch traditional advertisements, and therefore unlikely to be exposed to a brand or product that wasn’t already on their radar. Even the five-minute ad break between television shows appears to be too long to hold the attention of millennials and Generation Z, with the optimal duration for an advert likely to capture their attention being 15 seconds, perfect for scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, or even at the start of a YouTube video. Not all internet advertisements are engaging for millennials, however, with pop-up ads seemingly the worst. 96% of respondents admitted that they disliked them. Around 50% of millennials preferred YouTube advertisements and email updates, possibly because they were easier to skip and ignore.

One of the advertising strategies that appeals to millennials the most is influencer marketing—appreciated for its honest and transparent approach. To garner a significant following, influencers must develop a relationship with their audience, by creating a relatable and down-to-earth image. If a product apparently works well for the influencer, their followers are likely to believe that it will work in the same capacity for themselves also. Many influencers claim that they will only partner with a company and create sponsored content that aligns with their own personal brand and values, which only furthers their aura of authenticity.

What AI thinks Influencers Look Like

Instagram appears to be the most popular platform for influencer marketing, with more than 1 billion active users and its emphasis on photo and video content, which allows brands to visually promote their products. Similarly, aside from the skippable ads at the start of their videos, many YouTube creators earn money by taking on sponsorships with a variety of brands—either promoting their product within a section of the video or creating dedicated content to endorse it. Companies seem keen to incorporate social media influencers into their marketing strategies, as ‘two-thirds of firms plan to increase the amount spent on influencer marketing within the next year, and 80% forecast to spend at least 10% of their marketing budget on it’ (Haenlein, et al 2020). This clearly has the desired effect on millennials and Generation Z, who are more likely to purchase a product or service if it’s promoted and endorsed by an ‘admired and respected person’.

However, whilst younger people are adept at discerning the artifice of traditional advertisements, influencer marketing can be more deceitful than imagined. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) enforces rules and guidelines to protect consumers, which includes disclosure agreements, i.e. prompting influencers to reveal their relationship with the brand. The FTC guidelines are fairly vague, so even writing ‘#Ad’ suffices as proper disclosure; however, this is often placed discreetly within the post, and therefore missed by their followers. Whilst these influencers can be fined for not properly disclosing sponsorship, because there are so many posts within the Wild West of the internet, murky advertisements can be missed. One study found that 93% of influencer sponsorships are undisclosed, and therefore violate FTC guidelines.

FTC fines are not the only possible consequences of influencer marketing. Their audiences want relatability and authenticity, which can be difficult to maintain after numerous brand deals and sponsorships. Even if the audience accepts that their favourite celebrity is shilling a product to them, there is the expectation that the company they’re partnering with should align with the influencer’s values.

‘Understanding influencer marketing: The role of congruence between influencers, products and consumers’ gives the example of an Instagram influencer who partnered with Volvo to promote a toxic-free car cleaner. Her followers resented this endorsement, as it appeared forced and performative; this eco-friendly, sustainable message was incongruous to her usual jet-setting, travel-related content. Not only did this partnership backfire, wasting money for Volvo, the consequences may have also extended to a loss of followers for the influencer because she’d broken their trust.

Influencer marketing is not as straightforward as it may seem. Something as artificial as product marketing must still be perceived as authentic and genuine. Once an influencer grows and accepts more sponsorships, it’s likely that their followers will realise that they’ve become simply a target demographic. The ‘I’m just like you’ mentality could come crashing down. Whether this happens before the FTC cracks down on undisclosed partnerships remains to be seen.