Daniel Susskind and Carl Benedikt Frey may take different approaches—one looking ahead, the other looking behind—but their warnings converge on a singular truth: the future of work is shaped by the decisions we make today. Susskind's Growth pushes us toward a vision of an AI-driven economy, urging us to embrace change rather than fear it. Frey's The Technology Trap, meanwhile, reminds us that history is riddled with moments where innovation displaced workers, often with dire consequences. Their book covers, positioned side by side, serve as visual markers of a dilemma—one book gazing into the horizon, the other examining the path we've traveled. But both issue a challenge: will we adapt, or will we repeat the mistakes of the past?
 

Few professions illustrate this tension more than truck drivers, especially as autonomous trucking looms ever larger. In a striking irony, truckers are both the frontline workers and the students of automation—they navigate highways knowing that AI-powered semi-trucks are steadily entering their industry. Every mile driven is a lesson in what automation can and cannot do. They see firsthand the complexities of the road that algorithms struggle to master—the unpredictability of human behavior, the instinctive split-second decisions that save lives. Yet, while they witness the future arriving in real-time, their voices are often left out of the conversation about work's transformation. If truck drivers are indeed in the perfect classroom for understanding the future of labor, then policymakers, economists, and tech leaders must listen. Otherwise, as Frey warns, failing to reckon with the disruptive force of technology will leave us trapped in a cycle of displacement, rather than creating a just and balanced transition for those on the road today.