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Autonomous trucking startup Aurora Innovation will officially roll out fully driverless commercial big rigs on public Texas highways starting next week.
Why It Hits: While robotaxis have already started taking over city streets, high-speed freighter trucks on the freeway is a big (and maybe scary) step up for the autonomous-vehicle industry. But, if successful, the vehicles could revolutionize the long-haul trucking industry, which is plagued by high turnover (it’s a tough job).
Between the Lanes: Get ready to look over at a passing semi-truck and not see a human in the driver’s seat.
- Aurora will start with one driverless truck on a 200-mile stretch of highway between Dallas and Houston as soon as its final safety report comes in.
- It’ll expand the fleet over time (we assume at a commiserate rate with the decline in 911 calls about runaway trucks).
Last Mile: At least 10 startups are working on driverless tech for trucks, with all of them testing on roads in Texas, which is an ideal state for its minimal regulations and favorable topography. Axios reports that most expect to “pull the driver” out of vehicles by next year, meaning we could have a lot of autonomous trucks crisscrossing the country soon.
That’ll have a major economic impact. Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, says the federal government is putting pressure on the industry to move 50% more freight by 2050. That’s hard when the industry is shedding drivers. Autonomous trucks could plug that hole while lowering costs by 42%, according to McKinsey, which also expects AV trucks to comprise 13% of all trucks on American roads by 2035.
But here’s the most pressing question: will passersby still be able to motion for a honk? If not, we revolt.
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