Even in the absence of full automation, I wonder if this will ever become a viable option, like running a drone from Tampa. Could there be a terminal where thousands of people sit around and drive a truck remotely. They could at least work in shifts that way and skirt the rest rules. Also, you could pay them peanuts instead of the decent wages one needs to drive an actual long haul truck. Although autonomy or drone driving still doesn't solve the loading problem, which is often handled by the driver.A worker in China can't drive a truck in Ohio...
The "we fly drones over Afghanistan with pilots in Nevada" is kind of a falsehood. The drones are lofted and landed by control centers mere steps from the runway. Once the birds are airborne they hand over control to the rearward base. Satellite links have about a second and a half delay which is not an option when you're trying to maneuver a tractor-trailer rig through traffic.