On Thursday [May 1, 2025], autonomous trucking firm Aurora announced it launched commercial service in Texas under its first customers, Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, which delivers time- and temperature-sensitive freight. Both companies conducted test runs with Aurora, including safety drivers to monitor the self-driving technology dubbed "Aurora Driver." Aurora's new commercial service will no longer have safety drivers.
"We founded Aurora to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly, said Chris Urmson, CEO and co-founder of Aurora, in a release on Thursday. "Now, we are the first company to successfully and safely operate a commercial driverless trucking service on public roads."
The trucks are equipped with computers and sensors that can see the length of over four football fields. In four years of practice hauls the trucks' technology has delivered over 10,000 customer loads. As of Thursday, the company's self-driving tech has completed over 1,200 miles without a human in the truck.
Aurora is starting with a single self-driving truck and plans to add more by the end of 2025.
Self-driving technology continued to garner attention after over a decade of hype, especially from auto companies like Tesla, GM and others that have poured billions into the tech. Companies in the market of autonomous trucking or driving, tend to use states like Texas and California as their testing grounds for the technology.
California-based Gatik does short-haul deliveries for Fortune 500 retailers like Walmart. Another California tech firm, Kodiak Robotics, delivers freight daily for customers across the South but with safety drivers. Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet, had an autonomous trucking arm but dismantled it in 2023 to focus on its self-driving ride-hailing services.
However, consumers and transportation officials have raised alarms on the safety record of autonomous vehicles. Aurora released its own safety report this year detailing how its technology works.
Unions that represent truck drivers are usually opposed to the driverless technology because of the threat of job loss and concerns over safety.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 08, @02:40AM
For the collapse of the trucking industry thanks to tariffs.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 08, @03:19AM
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Urmson [wikipedia.org]
Certainly has the right resume for this job. Anyone know what he's like as a boss?
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ledow on Thursday May 08, @10:37AM (2 children)
1200 miles.
What's that? One truck journey?
Yeah, we're gonna need a LOT more data than that before we start drawing conclusions.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday May 08, @04:05PM (1 child)
As I read it, that's 1200 miles with no "safety driver" - they have four years of operations (whatever that means) with safety drivers in the cab. Presumably there's some statistic (hopefully 100%) of successful operation without safety driver intervention.
Semi trucks delivering sensitive cargoes probably have a much easier AI job than soccer moms driving to and from school, shopping, and kids' sports activities.
Not so many people will "challenge" a semi truck like I was this morning at a 3 way stop. I pulled up a little sooner and slower to the intersection for a right turn, a pickup truck pulled up straight across from me faster, turning left into the same space as me but from farther away. I had already started into the intersection when he rolled his stop sign and made as if to ram me - not realizing that I just don't give a shit about another little dent on our 23 year old sedan with a market value of about $1200. So, he veered off a bit into the oncoming side where there was nobody coming and got behind me, because apparently he didn't have the demeanor to out accelerate me and cut in front before the next stop sign coming up in 200', and maybe he didn't want a hit and run report on his license plate, or to stick around for an accident report that looks pretty clearly to be his fault... Hard to code all that logic into an AI since most of it is based on Theory Of Mind of the other drivers in the situation.
Likewise, most semi truck pickup and delivery points are relatively well controlled areas, not a lot of 8 year olds wandering around unattended, not a big crush of moms in SUVs late to their next appointment. And, I'm guessing the Aurora routes don't traverse Main street kind of environments too much either, more highway and rural settings most likely.
So, how long before anti-AI vigilantes stage a challenge for an Aurora truck to "show how dangerous it is" by getting their VW beetle crushed?
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 09, @09:12AM
Also the PR fix is probably cheaper and easier if an 8 year old runs onto a highway and gets squished by the robotruck.
Tons more people will be blaming the parents.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 08, @02:36PM (2 children)
"autonomous trucking or driving, tend to use states like Texas and California as their testing grounds for the technology."
I'm terrified of the thought of I5 from LA to Sacramento filled with robo-trucks
Reason: FOG in the Central Valley
(Score: 2) by gnuman on Thursday May 08, @04:07PM
Unless they are Teslas, the trucks will have a $50 radar and $100 Ladar on them and so will be able to see through the fog and rain.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Thursday May 08, @04:09PM
The AI trucks probably see very well through the fog, and have the sense to pull over and wait when they can't - more likely read a weather report and not attempt a delivery when such conditions are likely.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by DadaDoofy on Friday May 09, @02:06PM
The only reason the "safety driver" is there is for the companies' legal safety. It will be interesting to see how it plays out in the courts, not if, but when one of these machines kills someone.