Aurora has launched its commercial self-driving trucking service in Texas following the closure of its safety case earlier this week. The service currently comprises regular driverless customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston, though Aurora is planning to expand it to El Paso, TX and Phoenix, AZ by the end of 2025.
At the core of the autonomous trucks carrying out these deliveries is the Aurora Driver, an SAE L4 self-driving system designed for long-haul trucking. With it, the company is aiming to face various challenges facing the U.S. trucking industry, including an aging driver population with high turnover rates, skyrocketing operating costs, and underutilized assets. Through autonomy, Aurora says it can offer safe, reliable capacity without an impact on jobs.
The Aurora Driver is equipped with a powerful computer and sensors that helps the company’s autonomous trucks safely operate on the highway. Its key capabilities demonstrated over its various pilot trials include predicting red light runners, avoiding collisions, and detecting pedestrians in the dark hundreds of meters away.
Aurora’s launch customers are Uber Freight, an enterprise technology company powering intelligent logistics, and Hirschbach Motor Lines, a veteran-owned carrier that delivers time- and temperature-sensitive freight. Both companies had previously engaged in long-standing, supervised commercial pilots with Aurora.
Aurora’s launch trucks are equipped with the Aurora Driver hardware kit and numerous redundant systems, including braking, steering, power, sensing, controls, computing, cooling, and communication, that altogether help vehicles in the fleet to operate safely without a human driver. The truck platform was validated and approved by Aurora for driverless operations on public roads.
As Aurora opens new routes, it will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure there is visibility into the company’s progress.
