Aurora Launches Driverless Trucking in Texas

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Aurora has launched a commercial driverless trucking in Texas, bringing in a new era of freight.

Takeaway Points

• Aurora began regular driverless customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston.
• The company plans to expand its driverless service to El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, by the end of 2025.
• Aurora will share more details about its launch and ongoing commercial operations at its upcoming Q1 business review. 
• The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles.

What did Aurora launch?

Aurora Innovation, Inc., announced on Thursday it has successfully launched its commercial self-driving trucking service in Texas. Following the closure of its safety case, Aurora began regular driverless customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston this week. To date, the Aurora Driver has completed over 1,200 miles without a driver. The milestone makes Aurora the first company to operate a commercial self-driving service with heavy-duty trucks on public roads. 

Based on the report, Aurora plans to expand its driverless service to El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, by the end of 2025.

Chris Urmson, CEO and Co-Founder of Aurora, commented, “We founded Aurora to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. Now, we are the first company to successfully and safely operate a commercial driverless trucking service on public roads. Riding in the back seat for our inaugural trip was an honor of a lifetime – the Aurora Driver performed perfectly and it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”

Urmson added, “Our commitment to building a transformative technology, earning trust, and assembling a strong ecosystem of customers and partners have made this pivotal milestone possible.” 

Lior Ron, Founder and CEO of Uber Freight, said, “When Uber Freight and Aurora came together more than four years ago, we set out to transform the future of logistics—and today, that future is here. Moving autonomous commercial freight without anyone behind the wheel is a historic step forward in our mission to build a smarter and more efficient supply chain, and one we’re proud to lead alongside Aurora.”

Driverless Trucking in Texas

According to the report, Aurora’s launch customers are Uber Freight, a market-leading enterprise technology company powering intelligent logistics, and Hirschbach Motor Lines, a veteran-owned carrier that delivers time- and temperature-sensitive freight. 

The Aurora Driver is provided with a powerful computer and sensors that can see beyond the length of four football fields, helping it to safely operate on the highway, Aurora said.

The company said it will share more details about its launch and ongoing commercial operations at its upcoming Q1 business review. 

About Aurora

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver-as-a-service products for trucking and ride-hailing. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including Continental, FedEx, Hirschbach, NVIDIA, PACCAR, Ryder, Schneider, Toyota, Uber, Uber Freight, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and Werner.