What happened to the driver?

The study examines the impact of electrification, digitalization, and automation on Swedish truck and taxi drivers across six dimensions of working life: skill requirements, work organization, job security, identity, safety, and health. While drivers recognize potential improvements in safety and performance, they perceive challenges regarding identity and skill requirements. The authors argue that the negative impacts are driven by institutional arrangements and societal shifts rather than the technologies themselves, suggesting that incorporating driver insights into decision-making is essential for a just transition and the preservation of worker dignity.

• Truck and taxi drivers perceive a mix of outcomes from electrification, digitalization, and automation: while they identify challenges regarding their identity and the skills required for their roles, they also see opportunities for these technologies to enhance their performance, safety, and general work environment.
• The transition to low-carbon transport may trigger distributional, procedural, and recognition injustices, specifically concerning the costs associated with reskilling, the autonomy of drivers, and the acknowledgement of their professional knowledge.
• The uncertainty drivers feel about their future in the transport sector is caused by social processes, institutional arrangements, and broader industrial and societal shifts rather than the technologies themselves.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2025). What happened to the driver? https://www.sei.org/publications/what-happened-to-the-driver/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. What happened to the driver? 2025. https://www.sei.org/publications/what-happened-to-the-driver/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=What happened to the driver? |date=7 February 2025 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/what-happened-to-the-driver/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2025what, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{What happened to the driver?}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/what-happened-to-the-driver/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }