WASHINGTON – The U.S. Defense Department has issued a request for trucks that literally drive themselves to help soldiers in the field attend to more important matters. And some major manufacturers have answered the call. What’s most amazing about the vehicles they’ve come up with is how accurate they are and how safe they make the ride because computers are controlling everything. And they may one day have a huge impact on American car buying habits, according to CityNews.

Among the contenders: The TerraMax, recently put to the test by its manufacturer the Oshkosh Truck Company, is a 12-ton giant. It is able to navigate a course that included trucks being driven by other people in a parking lot; obey all traffic laws; signal for a turn; swing to the right; and avoid a number of other objects in its path, all at the speed of about 20 kilometers an hour.

The company said the technology will costs tens of millions of dollars.

The truck is controlled by computers with a series of onboard lasers, cameras, and global positioning systems installed that lets it “see” what’s going on around it. Programmers then set a course into its onboard computer, which has a 360-degree ‘view’ of the surroundings. They simply hit a button that says “Auto Drive,” and the steering wheel snaps into place and the truck begins to move. It can also be driven manually if needed, according to CityNews.

The prototype isn’t designed to be used in heavy traffic and there’s no word on whether this technology will ever be sophisticated enough to hit the real city streets.