Driverless Trucks Are Now Making Freight Runs in Texas, and This Is the Company Doing It
Aurora Innovation launches autonomous truck operations in Texas with its SAE Level 4 tech, similar to robotaxis, hauling freight between Dallas and Houston.
The 18-wheeler autonomous trucks now operate without a safety driver in the cab, in an important step for the autonomous trucking developer.
Several companies are focusing their autonomous trucking efforts in Texas and the southwest, in an effort to automate truck routes.
Earlier this month, Aurora Innovation kicked off driverless truck operations in Texas, starting off with a freight route between Dallas and Houston for commercial customers. The SAE Level 4 trucks, operating without a safety driver in the cab, have been making the 250-mile route that has been the focus of quite a bit of testing by several autonomous truck developers, many of which have been getting driverless truck infrastructure ready.
Getting to this point took years of research and plenty of on-road testing, in environments open and closed to regular traffic, with Aurora Innovation achieving a successful round of validation testing. In fact, years of supervised testing by Aurora has already seen 10,000 customer loads delivered by its prototypes, spanning some 3 million miles.
Aurora's first two commercial customers are Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, with both having collaborated with the Level 4 developer in prior supervised tests. Hirschbach focuses on temperature- and time-sensitive freight, and like others in the industry, it prizes reliability and safety at a time when there is a driver shortage and other equipment-related pressures.
"Transforming an old school industry like trucking is never easy, but we can't ignore the safety and efficiency benefits this technology can deliver," said Richard Stocking, CEO of Hirschbach Motor Lines.
"Autonomous trucks aren't just going to help grow our business—they're also going to give our drivers better lives by handling the lengthier and less desirable routes."
The busy Dallas to Houston route between warehouses is merely the first that Aurora plans to automate this year, with plans to expand driverless truck services to Phoenix and El Paso later this year.
And Aurora isn't alone in focusing on the vast truck routes in the American southwest that have made this part of the country a critical setting for SAE Level 4 truck innovation. Entire specialized hubs are being planned and built by the various autonomous truck developers nestled in Texas.
The SAE Level 4 tech itself is analogous to robotaxis, but only to a point. Driverless trucks need to look much farther down the road than robotaxis in busy cities, and take steps to respond to situations that won't unfold for another few seconds. This includes the ability to see pedestrians in the dark from hundreds of yards away, and being able to predict when another car might run a red light.
So the reach of its sensor hardware has to look further out in space and in time, as trucks can't stop on a dime.
"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," said Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder of Aurora.
With a successful on-road launch earlier this month, it's becoming clear that we'll look back on 2025 as a pivotal year for driverless trucks with the launch of Aurora's commercial service.
One of the next questions that the autonomous truck cottage industry will have to answer, well before the question of profitability, is just how seamless of a freight run process can be achieved along greater distances inside Texas with dozens of trucks operating at once and being monitored remotely.
Achieving a greater scale of operation will be among the next big tests for Aurora and others.
Will driverless trucks be a common sight in many US states by 2035, or will this remain a relatively niche technology confined to a handful of routes in a couple states? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
2 hours ago
Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman sees sales fall as Trump trade conflicts weigh on spirits producers
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Brown-Forman Corp. reported weaker sales Thursday as the maker of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey confronts challenging market conditions amid global trade conflicts and pinched consumer spending. The Louisville, Kentucky-based spirits giant said its full-year net sales of nearly $4 billion were down 5% from a year ago, and fell 7% in in the fourth quarter. Net income was down 15% for the full fiscal year and plunged 45% in the fourth quarter ending April 30, the company said. The quarterly drop came as Brown-Forman and other U.S. spirits producers who rely heavily on foreign sales felt the reverberations from President Donald Trump's sweeping tariff plans and consumer anxiety about the economy. Brown-Forman also offered a sobering assessment for the coming year. Having steered the company through an 'extremely challenging and uncertain operating environment' in the past year, Brown-Forman CEO Lawson Whiting predicted another challenging year ahead. 'Fiscal 2025 was a year unlike any other that I've seen in the past three decades,' he said during a conference call with industry market analysts. Whiting pointed to industry figures showing that many consumers are purchasing smaller sizes of spirits. He called it unusual and said it reflects a consumer 'who's pinched and just goes to the store with a $10 bill instead of $20 and then they get the smaller size.' 'The consumer and their wallet just doesn't have as much money in it," he said. "They're spending money on things like vacations and lodging, and other things like that. But then when it trickles down and they go to the grocery store, I think in some cases, spirits have fallen out of the basket a little bit.' In its outlook for the next year, the company said the challenges include continued consumer uncertainty and the 'potential impact from currently unknown tariffs.' 'We know it's highly volatile," Leanne Cunningham, the company's CFO, said while fielding a question about tariffs during the conference call. "None of us can predict what's going on." The company believes the market volatility will "create sustained levels of consumer uncertainty, which we believe will lead to another year of below historical total distilled spirits trends,' she said. Trump has often announced changes and pauses to his sweeping tariff plans on his social media platform. Trump hiked nearly all of his tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to a punishing 50% on Wednesday in a move that's set to hammer businesses from automakers to home builders, and likely push up prices for consumers even further. Brown-Forman executives said Thursday that American spirits brands mostly remain off store shelves in Canada. Trump has angered Canadians with his trade war and calls to make Canada the 51st state. Spirits makers in Kentucky have expressed fears of becoming "collateral damage' by getting caught up in trade conflicts. 'The uncertainty of the tariffs continues to weigh down distilleries large and small," Chris Swonger, president and CEO of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, said in a statement Thursday. "We are urging the Trump administration to help get the spirits sector back to fair and reciprocal trade with zero-for-zero tariffs with our major trading partners.' Meanwhile, Brown-Forman's full-year results showed that net sales for its whiskey products were flat. Growth from Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey and its Woodford Reserve brand was offset by the negative effect of foreign exchange and declines in other super-premium Jack Daniel's products, it said. The company will launch a new product, Jack Daniel's Tennessee Blackberry, this summer. 'BlackBerry is a globally recognized, well-established flavor trend, and naturally complements the flavor of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey," Whiting said. In January, Brown-Forman announced it was reducing its global workforce by about 12% and closing its hometown barrel-making plant in Louisville. Whiting reaffirmed Thursday that those actions are expected to produce about $70 million to $80 million in annualized cost savings.
2 hours ago
The implosion of a powerful political alliance: Trump and Musk in their own words
Last Friday, President Donald Trump heaped praise on Elon Musk as the tech billionaire prepared to leave his unorthodox White House job. Less than a week later, their potent political alliance met a dramatic end Thursday when the men attacked each other with blistering epithets. Trump threatened to go after Musk's business interests. Musk called for Trump's impeachment. Here's a look at the implosion of their relationship in their own words. 'Today it's about a man named Elon. And he's one of the greatest business leaders and innovators the world has ever produced. He stepped forward to put his very great talents into the service of our nation and we appreciate it. Just want to say that Elon has worked tirelessly helping lead the most sweeping and consequential government reform program in generations.' — Trump, May 30, Oval Office remarks ___ Trump invited cameras into the Oval Office last week to bid farewell to Musk, who said he was stepping away from his government work to focus on his businesses. Trump spoke effusively of Musk and his work with the Department of Government Efficiency for nearly 15 minutes straight. "I'll continue to be visiting here and be a friend and adviser to the president," Musk said. He marveled at the gold-tinged decorations Trump placed around the Oval Office. 'The oval office finally has the majesty that it deserves thanks to the president,' he said. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' — Musk, Tuesday, post on X. ___ Days after their Oval Office meeting, Musk escalated his previously restrained criticism of Trump's 'big, beautiful' budget bill, the president's top congressional priority. Still, he kept his critique focused on their policy disagreement. He did not go after Trump by name, even as he called on Republican lawmakers to vote down the bill and threatened political retribution against those who took Trump's side. 'In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people,' Musk wrote on X. Uncharacteristically for a man who rarely lets a snub go unanswered, Trump did not respond. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Musk's views on the bill were not a surprise to Trump, and his social media posting 'doesn't change the president's opinion.' Musk continued Wednesday, approvingly sharing social media posts and memes that criticized the budget's price tag and deficit impacts, though still directing his ire at Congress. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore." -- Trump, Thursday, Oval Office meeting with the German chancellor. ___ Trump said he was 'very disappointed in Elon" and was surprised by his benefactor's criticism. The war of words escalated rapidly from there. It all played out on their respective social media platforms, with Musk posting on X and Trump on Truth Social. Musk dismissed Trump's criticism. 'Whatever,' he wrote. He shared old Trump social media posts urging lawmakers to oppose deficit spending and increasing the debt ceiling. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk posted, a reference to Musk's record political spending last year, which topped $250 million. 'Such ingratitude,' he added. Trump said Musk had worn out his welcome at the White House and was mad that Trump was changing electric vehicle policies in ways that would financially harm Musk-led Tesla. 'Elon was 'wearing thin,' I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote. He added: 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public. Have a nice day, DJT!' — Musk, Thursday, X post. ___ In a series of posts, he shined a spotlight on ties between Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who killed himself while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. Some loud voices in Trump's 'Make America Great Again' movement claim Epstein's suicide was staged by powerful figures, including prominent Democrats, who feared Epstein would expose their involvement in trafficking. Trump's own FBI leaders have dismissed such speculation and there's no evidence supporting it. 'Yes,' he wrote.
Black America Web
3 hours ago
- Black America Web
Target Loses $12 Billion —Biggest Boycott Since Montgomery Bus Protest
Source: Bettmann / Getty In what's being widely recognized as the most impactful Black-led boycott since the Montgomery Bus Boycott of the 1950s, Target has suffered a staggering $12 billion loss in market value. The ripple effects were swift: stock prices tumbled, and the company's CEO saw his salary slashed by nearly half. And it all started with a unified community refusing to spend. At the heart of this movement is a renewed focus on economic justice and buying power, led by Black organizers and everyday consumers who decided enough was enough. The digital front lines were powered by platforms like @miiriya_, a Black-owned marketplace app that promotes shopping from Black businesses and creators. Their viral posts and grassroots messaging helped ignite a widespread movement calling for economic withdrawal from companies perceived to be failing the Black community—Target being a key focus. This boycott didn't just trend—it translated into billions of dollars in real economic consequence. While Target has yet to release a full statement addressing the financial fallout, the damage is already done. More importantly, the message has been delivered: Black consumers are not to be overlooked or taken for granted. The comparisons to the Montgomery Bus Boycott are more than symbolic. That historic protest lasted over a year and reshaped American civil rights. Today's version happened in a digital world, but the strategy is rooted in the same core principle: collective financial action leads to real accountability. The success of this boycott is a blueprint for future organizing. It shows that through tech, social platforms, and intentional spending, Black economic power can shift markets. It also highlights the importance of supporting Black-owned alternatives like Miiriya, which not only gives consumers a place to shop with purpose but also reinforces a vision for long-term community sustainability. RELATED: Target Messed Around And Found Out, Reports 1st Quarter Sales Slump SEE ALSO Target Loses $12 Billion —Biggest Boycott Since Montgomery Bus Protest was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
