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Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
The Future of Autonomous Trucking Is Being Tested Today
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. There are millions more jobs driving trucks than there are drivers for those trucks. According to IRU, an organization representing 3.5 million mobility and logistics services globally, there are 3.6 million unfilled positions in 36 countries. Those 36 countries represent 70 percent of the global GDP. Technology that can help ease the problem is on the way. Many companies are testing driverless tractor-trailers on highways, including U.S. Interstates 35 and 45. Among those companies gearing up for an autonomous future is Volvo Group. Volvo Trucks currently sells 25 different types of trucks, from gasoline-powered long-haul transporters to the Volvo FM Low Entry, a high-capacity truck for urban work like garbage hauling or construction work. "At Volvo Group, our Volvo autonomous solutions are currently focused on hub-to-hub freight transport and mining, however the benefits of autonomy extend across multiple industries including construction and public transport," Lars Stenqvist, chief technology officer of Volvo Group, told Newsweek. Face of the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck. Face of the Volvo VNL Autonomous truck. Volvo Trucks More than just workforce shortages, Stenqvist views autonomous driving technology as safer for roadside workers and public transit riders. "Autonomous technology is already helping to address some of the logistics industry's most urgent challenges, such as driver shortages, growing freight demand, and long transit times. In construction, autonomy can deliver many of the same benefits, mitigating the shortage of skilled operators, enabling continuous operations, and improving site safety by removing people from hazardous environments. Similarly, in public transport, autonomy can help ease driver shortages, improve safety, and add much needed capacity," he said. Rather than replace drivers, Stenqvist envisions autonomous trucks as being able to perform "specific tasks on routes where autonomy can add the most value." The Volvo VNL heavy-duty truck was launched with autonomous operations in mind. "The Volvo VNL Autonomous is built on the all-new Volvo VNL, launched in January 2024. This truck model represents a 90% redesign from the ground up, with significant improvements in fuel efficiency, aerodynamics, and safety, making it the ideal platform for autonomous operations. "At Volvo Group, we made a deliberate choice to develop a new truck platform specifically for autonomous use. The Volvo VNL Autonomous is purpose-designed and purpose-built from the start, ensuring that every aspect of its design caters to the unique requirements of driverless operation—there are no afterthoughts, upgrades, or retrofitting involved," Stenqvist said. Each VNL Autonomous is equipped with redundant safety technology and equipment including brakes, steering, communication systems, power and energy storage, vehicle motion management operations and lights. The VNL Autonomous also has Aurora's self-driving technology, Aurora Driver, integrated into it. "We view autonomy as a fully integrated system, not as an add-on. From redundant harnessing to protected sensor mounts, every component is engineered for durability, safety, and scalability. Autonomy is embedded, not bolted on, and every design choice reflects our commitment to this principle," Stenqvist said. Volvo manufactures the truck at the company's New River Valley plant in Dublin, Virginia. Autonomous driving operations are enabled by artificial intelligence (AI). "AI is not just at the heart of autonomous transport, it enables intelligence across the entire solution stack. At Volvo Group, we view AI as the critical layer that empowers perception, decision-making, and intelligent vehicle control while always being anchored in safety, reliability, and operational integrity," the CTO said. "Our Volvo VNL Autonomous in its first application is powered by the Aurora Driver, which incorporates Aurora's carefully engineered approach known as Verifiable AI. In parallel, we also have a partnership with Waabi. The Waabi Driver brings a next-generation approach using generative AI trained in advanced simulation. Their system is designed to learn quickly, adapt across regions, and smoothly integrate." There isn't one particular area of autonomous driving that stands out to Stenqvist as being the most challenging."Autonomy is a systems challenge," he said. Stenqvist continued: "Autonomy presents a multifaceted challenge that goes far beyond perception and control. It demands system-level safety, full redundancy, large-scale validation, and seamless integration into complex operational environments. "Building an autonomous truck is particularly demanding. It's not just about software or retrofitting sensors—it involves adding over 200 components, including advanced sensors and redundant systems for all safety-critical functions. These must be integrated from the ground up into a cohesive, fail-operational architecture that performs reliably at highway speeds and across a wide range of weather and lighting conditions. "Sensor fusion, redundancy design, and robust autonomy stack performance are major engineering challenges. Delivering this capability on a scale, with OEM-grade quality and consistency, is equally critical. This is where Volvo Group has a distinct advantage, drawing on decades of experience in vehicle safety, industrialization, and high-quality manufacturing to make autonomy viable at scale." And the company sees autonomy not just as a next step but as a game-changing solution for the trucking industry. "Autonomy is more than a technological leap—it's a critical enabler for meeting growing freight demand, improving safety, and addressing labor shortages. At Volvo Group, we see autonomy as a key driver of long-term efficiency and progress, paving the way for a more resilient future for the transport industry," Stenqvist said. Daimler Truck's Freighliner Cascadia being tested in an autonomous driving scenario by Torc. Daimler Truck's Freighliner Cascadia being tested in an autonomous driving scenario by Torc. Daimler Truck Volvo isn't the only company in the throws of autonomous truck testing. Torc, a subsidiary of Daimler Truck, is testing its driverless trucks along routes in New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. Like Volvo, the company has built redundancies into its fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia, which is used for the tests. Torc and its parent company aim to enter the U.S. market with an SAE Level 4 autonomous truck by 2027, it said in April. SAE Level 4 autonomous trucks can operate without a driver under limited conditions. The companies plan to market the truck for use between freight hubs.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Autonomous Volvo Trucks Will Use This Firm's Tech
Autonomous tech developer Waabi reveals new partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions, with the company's AI tech slated to be used in the development of production SAE Level 4 trucks in the US. Waabi's generative AI system will train Volvo's SAE Level 4 software as the truck maker inches toward the commercial launch of its autonomous trucks this year. The Toronto-based company has recently launched a hub for driverless trucks in Texas, as work intensifies to automate the Houston to Dallas truck route. If it feels like robotaxi tech is finally gathering momentum after a few years of small-scale rollouts, a similar trend is unfolding in the driverless truck sphere, which is a few years behind the currently unfolding robotaxi revolution. Toronto-based autonomous tech developer Waabi, which recently opened an autonomous trucking terminal near Dallas with facilities tailor-made for a fleet of driverless trucks, is perhaps best known in the industry for its AI training model for autonomous vehicles. And now it is teaming up with Volvo Autonomous Solutions to vertically integrate Waabi Driver—its virtual driver system—into Volvo's upcoming VNL Autonomous semi truck. This integration will also allow Volvo to train its own autonomous trucks using Waabi's generative AI system, which the company says can safely generalize to many scenarios encountered in traffic. The autonomous developer calls its system an AI-first approach, with Waabi World being an AI-generated closed-loop simulation engine offering countless scenarios for training driverless systems, both in everyday driving and rare edge cases. "At Waabi, we believe that vertically integrating next-generation AI technology directly into an OEM's vehicle production is the path forward to bring safe, robust autonomous vehicles to the road, at scale," said Raquel Urtasun, founder and CEO of Waabi. The SAE Level 4 trucks themselves face a different set of traffic challenges than robotaxis, needing to see and interpret events unfolding much further down the road, up to a half mile in some circumstances. They also need truck terminals specially suited to autonomous vehicles, as well as a remote command center that monitors the fleet in real time and makes adjustments as necessary. Most of autonomous truck development efforts are centered on the Dallas to Houston route, which has already seen on-road testing by a number of developers and truck makers. This is due in large part to Texas' embrace of autonomous testing, along with Nevada, but most of the efforts contemplate purely intra-state routes of just a few hours between warehouse centers. But it's a start. Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Waabi plan to begin testing the Waabi Driver system in its trucks later this year, with Volvo's VNL Autonomous trucks themselves slated to enter production at the company's main plant in New River Valley, Virginia, in 2025. "Waabi is at the forefront of developing self-driving technologies leveraging the full power of AI," said Shahrukh Kazmi, chief product officer at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. It remains to be seen just how quickly Volvo and other hopefuls can scale their SAE Level 4 trucks in Texas. But a number of major fleets are already getting ready for a future where driverless trucks will be a common sight, at least in a handful southwest states. Will even 10% of truck routes in the US be served by autonomous trucks by 2030, or will this transition take far longer to gather momentum? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Volvo is teaming up with a Nvidia-backed firm to deploy more self-driving trucks
Volvo on Tuesday announced it was teaming up with Waabi, the self-driving truck startup backed by players like Nvidia (NVDA) and Uber (UBER), to jointly develop and deploy autonomous vehicles. The companies said they would integrate Waabi's generative artificial intelligence-based technology into the trucks being developed by Volvo Autonomous Solutions, a unit of the Swedish luxury automaker. The trucks, Volvo's VNL Autonomous, will be made at Volvo's assembly plant in Virginia's New River Valley. Testing is expected to begin later this year. 'We are excited to integrate Waabi's cutting-edge technology into our autonomous truck platform,' Volvo Autonomous Solutions' chief product officer, Shahrukh Kazmi, said in a statement. Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun said that 'vertically integrating next-generation AI technology directly into an OEM's vehicle production is the path forward' to making safe autonomous vehicles at scale. Last May, Waabi signed a multi-year lease on a trucking terminal in Dallas County, Texas, which will be the base for its operations in the state. The company first entered Texas in 2023, making trips between Dallas and Houston through its partnership with Uber Freight. It plans to expand testing in the state this year. In 2024, the company drew $200 million for its Series B funding round from investors such as Nvidia, Khosla Ventures, and Uber. Volvo has also invested in Waabi, participating in both the Series A and Series B rounds. Autonomous trucks have become an increasingly popular concept, potentially reducing the time it takes to transport goods and allowing companies to bypass the limitations of human workers. The industry is also mired in a debate over whether it has a shortage of human drivers or just difficulty retaining workers, largely thanks to long hours and poor wages. According to the consultancy McKinsey & Co., use cases for autonomous trucks could translate into a $616 billion global market in 2035. By that time, the U.S.'s autonomous heavy-duty trucking market could reach a roughly $178 billion valuation, with such vehicles accounting for 13% of all trucks on the road. Volvo has been working on autonomy for years, having developed an autonomous truck concept as early as 2017. A concept electric truck named Vera was unveiled in 2019 and put to work in a Swedish pilot program that year. Volvo has also partnered with Aurora Innovation (AUR), a self-driving vehicle company based in Pittsburgh that works with several other companies, including Uber Freight and Continental. In May 2024, the companies debuted the VNL Autonomous at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas, describing the truck as a 'purpose-designed and purpose-built' vehicle using Aurora's hardware and software. In December, Volvo began hauling freight on autonomous trucks on two lanes, Dallas to Houston and Fort Worth to El Paso, as part of a partnership with DHL Supply Chain. Since the technology is still being tested, a safety driver is behind the wheel of those vehicles. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Sign in to access your portfolio
