February 28, 2006: The U.S. Army is testing the use of robotic trucks, escorted by manned, and unmanned, combat vehicles. Experiments are also being made with robotic Strykers. This is not a big leap, as the Stryker is already referred to by its users as a vehicle you "boot" instead of start. The Stryker can be driven by remote control, and its weapons operated remotely as well.

Robotic vehicle technology has made great strides in the last few years, and is moving ahead rapidly in the areas of reliability and ruggedness. Robotic trucks have many advantages. In addition to cutting manpower requirement, in situations like Iraq, having fewer non-combat troops in the convoy would make things easier for the escorting troops. Most convoys don't move that fast, which means the robotic vehicles don't have to make a lot of quick driving decisions. The army doesn't expect to use robotic trucks in Iraq, but if the technology keeps getting better at a faster rate, that could change. Whatever the case, the army expect to need fewer truck drivers in the future, and more robotic vehicle technicians. This is a trend that has been going on the military since World War II.