A Pittsburgh-based company announced it will add a route for self-driving tractor-trailer rigs from Fort Worth to El Paso.
Aurora Innovations, Inc. debuted a driverless semi from Dallas to Houston in May and will now add the new 600-mile route from Fort Worth, according to a news release. The Dallas-to-Houston trip was the first of its kind in the United States, according to Aurora.
Zooming in
A new district in the Alliance area for the deployment of semi- and fully autonomous semis was approved by the Fort Worth City Council in November, according to previous reporting.
Using Aurora Driver hardware, the company plans to deploy hundreds of driverless trucks to meet strong customer demand. Staffing challenges and the difficulty of completing the 10-hour haul in a single day make the route difficult, according to the news release.
“Six months out from launch, we’re achieving more industry firsts, expanding quickly and paving the way to deploy hundreds of trucks next year,” Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson said in a news release. “Expanding to El Paso, notching over 100,000 driverless miles and integrating our new hardware with multiple truck platforms extends our strong lead.”
Hirschbach Motor Lines, which transports perishable goods from fresh to frozen food to pharmaceuticals, is one of the customers on the new El Paso route, according to Aurora.
“As an early adopter, we embrace the opportunity to help define the future of freight technology,” said Richard Stocking, President & CEO of Hirschbach Motor Lines. “Integrating an additional fleet strengthens our driverless capacity—a vital advancement in ensuring we meet customer demand and deliver operational excellence.”
The details
There are currently five driverless trucks regularly delivering freight with a perfect on-time and safety record, according to the company.
The new hardware will detect objects 1,000 meters away, twice the distance of the current trucks. The hardware is manufactured by Fabrinet and will feature an enhanced sensor for cleaning, enabling driverless trucks to operate in harsher weather conditions.
Aurora’s trucks use cameras, radar and a laser to detect the vehicle’s surroundings and software to assess which actions to take.
Since 2022, Aurora’s self-driving Peterbilt trucks have been involved in four collisions with other vehicles, according to data from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
What else?
The integration of the hardware will be included in the Volvo VNL Autonomous trucks and the International LT Series 8 vehicles.
Aurora has successfully begun testing the new fleet at its closed test track. Upon completion of a closed safety case for these trucks, Aurora stated it plans to haul freight without a partner-requested observer in the second quarter of 2026.
Aurora also plans to extend the El Paso route to Phoenix, spanning about 1,000 miles and 15 hours of driving from their terminal, according to a news release.