Mercedes-Benz reveals Future Truck 2025, the Optimus Prime of self-driving semis

U.S. trucking firms have long complained that they have more jobs than drivers — about 30,000 more, according to the most recent figures from the American Trucking Association. And who can blame someone for choosing another profession, what with the weeks on the road away from family and the stress of just-in-time delivery schedules for the chance to earn an average of $50,000 a year.

Today, Mercedes-Benz revealed the full details of how it sees the trucks of the future making the drivers of today more of a profession than a trade — with an Optimus Prime-like rig that can drive itself while the "transport manager" types away in his luxury studio.

Mercedes had previously shown a camouflaged version of the Future Truck 2025 that highlighted its autonomous driving abilities with a full load up to 50 mph, an expanded version of what the company already offers to buyers of the new S-Class coupes and sedans. Wolfgang Bernhard, head of Mercedes' truck division, has said autonomous driving would be the future of trucking, but one that was still a decade away given higher technological and legal hurdles.