By 2035, more than one freight trucks out of 10 will be self-driven|@aurora_inno|X
Aurora Innovation, a Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle company, announced Thursday that it’s operating fully driverless semi-trucks on a 200-mile stretch of Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston after it conducted test runs with safety drivers.
It will be the first large-scale commercial deployment of autonomous trucks without safety drivers.
Initial customers include Hirschbach Motor Lines and Uber Freight. Aurora plans to expand routes to El Paso and Phoenix and scale operations to dozens of trucks by late 2025.
The company owns, insures, and maintains its fleet and is developing high-volume autonomous models with Volvo and Paccar, targeting customer sales by 2027.
Aurora also points to rising costs and underutilized assets as key reasons to automate. A McKinsey report suggests driverless tech could cut per-mile costs by up to 42%. It also says that by 2035, more than one freight trucks out of 10 will be self-driven.
Autonomous tech is gaining traction as at least 10 companies are developing driverless technology for trucks, per Axios.
Response
Though supporters cite 24/7 operations and improved efficiency, critics remain concerned about job displacement and safety oversight.
The vehicle company will report Q1 earnings and tariff impact details next week.