If you hook your wagon to this you will be a train.
The positive train control systems all in the news are closing the
most important missing bit from this entire equation.
Trains are self steering and with an machine driving a truck is too.
Trains with positive control systems have a following communication
system and so will these automated trucks.
If trains had the nice right of ways that the highway system enjoys
and if trains had the same tax load that the highway system enjoys
rail would be an even more common and valuable transport
of goods and people.
There are parts of the west where this makes a lot of sense
except that trains run parallel to the Interstate and trains
would be more efficient.
The tax structure of rail is why so many local and state officials make
such a darn big clamor about Amtrak funding reductions. They collect
taxes for each and every foot of track and pay to maintain each mile
of highway.
The tax tangle needs to be sorted out. It does go back 100 years and
got so bad that the Interstate highway system was installed because
the rail barons and their monopolistic practices risked national security.
This combined with improvements in tires made it possible to upset
the balance of power.
Now nothing gets maintained.... No wonder Amazon would rather fly drones
to your door.