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"Modern science fiction is the only form of literature that consistently considers the nature of the changes that face us, the possible consequences, and the possible solutions."
- Isaac Asimov

Autonomous Truck  
  A truck that drives itself and unloads itself.  

The truck was massive, rumbling under its tightly packed load. In many ways, it resembled conventional human-operated transportation vehicles, but with one exception -- there was no driver's cabin. The horizontal surface was a loading stage, and the part that would normally be the headlights and radiator grill was a fibrous spongelike mass of receptors, the limited sensory apparatus of this mobile utility extension.

Aware of the three men, the truck slowed to a halt, shifted gears and pulled on its emergency brake. A moment passed as relays moved into action; then a portion of the loading surface tilted and a cascade of heavy cartons spilled down onto the roadway. With the objects fluttered a detailed inventory sheet.

The truck had begun to move away; abruptly it stopped and backed toward them. Its receptors had taken in the fact that the three men had demolished the dropped-off portion of the load. It spun in a grinding half circle and came around to face its receptor bank in their direction. Up went its antenna; it had begun communicating with the factory. Instructions were on the way.

Technovelgy from Autofac, by Philip K. Dick.
Published by Galaxy in 1955
Additional resources -

Here's a look at the illustration that accompanied the original story:


(Autonomous truck from Autofac)

And from Unstable Orbits in the Space of Lies (1992) by Greg Egan:

A bakery’s robot delivery van speeds past me, and I curse my solitude; without elaborate preparations, it takes at least two agile people to make use of them: one to block the vehicle’s path, the other to steal the food. Losses through theft are small enough that the people of the attractors seem to tolerate them; presumably, greater security measures just aren’t worth the cost - although no doubt the inhabitants of each ethical monoculture have their own unique “reasons” for not starving us amoral tramps into submission.

Compare to the electrotruck from The Corkscrew of Space (1956) by Poul Anderson, the tractatruck from The Moon is Hell (1950) by John Campbell, the planetruck from The Slave Ship to Andrigo (1951) by Ross Rocklynne and the automatic truck from Mechnocracy (1932) by Miles J. Breurer.

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Additional resources:
  More Ideas and Technology from Autofac
  More Ideas and Technology by Philip K. Dick
  Tech news articles related to Autofac
  Tech news articles related to works by Philip K. Dick

Autonomous Truck-related news articles:
  - Embark Autonomous Trucks Still Need Humans
  - Dockworkers Protest Driverless Trucks
  - No Autonomous Trucks? Wait, What?
  - Rivian Actually Making Electric Self-Driving Trucks

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Xiaomi Self-Driving Self-Balancing Scooter
AV-STEP To Permit Sale Of Vehicles Without Steering Wheels Or Pedals
'Robovan' Name Already Taken - Elon, Try These

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