ABSTRACT Autonomous (or self-driving) vehicle technology has become a commercial reality in a number of cars being driven on public roads around the globe. However, this technology is not only confined to cars. It is equally applicable to trucks and there is speculation that it will be autonomous trucks that will hit the roads first because they operate in ‘a less complicated traffic environment’ and are therefore ideal starting points for the coming automated vehicle market.1 For example, in May 2015, authorities granted a license to Daimler to test its self-driving trucks on public roads in the US State of Nevada.2 These use a series of different technologies, including video cameras and radar, which, when applied in an incremental way, allow drivers to take breaks, although there must always be a qualified driver at the wheel.3 It is clear to see the benefits of self-driving trucks to trucking companies, who could use them to transport goods across much longer distances and without all of the scheduled breaks than is presently possible with human truck drivers. But what about the impact on the image of the retained drivers themselves? Traditionally, truck drivers have been men and this representation is well-entrenched in a variety of media. Does the introduction of self-driving truck technology represent an attack on the masculinist truck driving culture as portrayed in TV shows such as ‘Ice Road Truckers’ or ‘Outback Truckers’. If so, is such a change to be encouraged or is the historical image (though objectionable to some) worthy of protection? Given that self-driving trucks could be available for purchase from the middle of the coming decade, the socio-legal aspects of self-driving truck technology will be reflected on and the degree to which this issue can be contemplated at law addressed.

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自动驾驶卡车：对男子气概的侮辱？

摘要 自动（或自动驾驶）车辆技术已成为全球公共道路上行驶的许多汽车的商业现实。然而，这项技术不仅限于汽车。它同样适用于卡车，有人猜测自动驾驶卡车将首先上路，因为它们在“不太复杂的交通环境”中运行，因此是即将到来的自动驾驶汽车市场的理想起点。 1 例如， 2015 年 5 月，当局授予戴姆勒许可在美国内华达州的公共道路上测试其自动驾驶卡车。 2 这些使用了一系列不同的技术，包括摄像机和雷达，当以增量方式应用时, 允许驾驶员休息，但必须始终有合格的驾驶员在驾驶。3 很明显，自动驾驶卡车对卡车运输公司的好处是显而易见的，他们可以使用自动驾驶卡车将货物运输到更远的距离，而且无需像目前人类卡车司机那样安排所有的休息时间。但对留存司机自身形象的影响又如何呢？传统上，卡车司机都是男性，这种表现在各种媒体中根深蒂固。自动驾驶卡车技术的引入是否代表了对“冰路卡车司机”或“内陆卡车司机”等电视节目中描绘的男性主义卡车驾驶文化的攻击。如果是这样，是否应该鼓励这种改变，或者历史形象（尽管有些人反对）是否值得保护？鉴于自动驾驶卡车可以在未来十年中期开始购买，