City of Memphis hopes to receive autonomous trucks soon

MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - Nearly a year after trolleys returned to Downtown Memphis’ Main Street, new self-driving vehicles could soon share the same road.

Memphis is becoming one of the "smartest" cities in the country.

“I think it’s very innovative to make this city more attractive to tourists and also future residents,” said Antjuan Whitehead, resident.

The City of Memphis recently picked Extreme Networks, a California-based software company, to create a network that can support the city's technology-driven initiatives.

They’re offering ideas like autonomous trucks and an intelligent routing system, seamlessly moving people and cargo through the city.

In a statement from Michael Rodriguez, the chief information officer for the City of Memphis, he says, "The City's vision is to use technology to tackle some of our most difficult challenges. As we move toward that future, we need a robust, secure, software-driven infrastructure that can interface with third-party solutions, and provide a path to automation."

As the Bluff City looks to the future, some worry about the impact this could have on city employees.

“I am all for it, but the problem is that we do lose some jobs, particularly at the bottom who rely on transportation as a means to make a living. And as long as we open up the education system to give these people new vocation, and new jobs, and new training I think it’s a great idea,” said Benjamin Rosenberg, resident.

Details on when the city could start testing self-driving vehicles have yet to be announced.

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