Hey New York, Check Out the Lone Star State’s Robo-Trucks

Washington, DC — CNN

Autonomous trucks are now rolling down Texan highways, and it’s not just a test drive. These driverless wonders are officially tackling long-haul routes between Dallas and Houston.

Aurora Hits the Road

On a sunny Thursday, Aurora, the autonomous trucking firm, announced it was launching commercial service in Texas. Their first customers? Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, masters at delivering time-sensitive and frozen goods. They’ve been testing with Aurora’s “Aurora Driver,” safety drivers included, until now. However, from now on, no humans will be behind the wheel.

Why All Eyes Are On Aurora

Aurora is making headlines. Their CEO, Chris Urmson, proudly stated, “We’re the first to safely run a commercial driverless trucking service on public roads” ([Aurora’s release](https://ir.aurora.tech/news-events/press-releases/detail/119/aurora-begins-commercial-driverless-trucking-in-texas)). Quite the feather in their cap, wouldn’t you say?

Meanwhile, their trucks come with some serious tech. Imagine computers and sensors that see beyond the horizon—well, over four football fields. In four years, these trucks have delivered more than 10,000 customer loads already. And as of Thursday, they’ve clocked over 1,200 miles without a human in the truck.

The Bigger Picture

Driverless tech is no longer just a sci-fi fantasy. Tesla and GM are throwing billions into it, while companies like Aurora pick states like Texas and California to fine-tune their tech ([Tesla’s FSD](https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/22/business/tesla-fsd-price-increase)). California-based Gatik’s dabbling in short-haul gigs, ferrying goods for heavyweights like Walmart. Likewise, Kodiak Robotics is making deliveries across the South, albeit with safety drivers.

An interesting twist—Google’s Waymo turned off its trucking arm to focus on self-driving cabs. Yeah, folks, that’s where the money’s at now.

Got Safety Concerns? Of Course We Do!

Now here’s the thing: not everyone’s jazzed about this self-driving phenomenon. Consumers and transportation gurus have raised eyebrows about the [safety record](https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/18/business/tesla-fsd-federal-investigation/index.html) of these vehicles. Aurora dropped a safety report that’ll tell you all about how its tech plays out ([Aurora Safety Report](https://aurora.tech/vssa/)).

Unions aren’t celebrating either. They’re worried about jobs disappearing into the tech ether and potential safety hazards. Concerns escalated when the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shot down a petition by Waymo and Aurora. They wanted to swap traditional truck warnings for whizzy cab-mounted beacons. Safe to say, unions were not on board ([Transport Workers Union argued](https://www.twu.org/a-victory-for-safety-feds-side-with-twu-over-autonomous-trucking-companies/)).

What’s Next?

Aurora’s starting small, with one self-driving truck, but they’re eyeing expansion by the end of 2025. In the meantime, debates about autonomy and technology rage on. One thing’s certain, the roads in Texas just got a whole lot more futuristic. And you know what? The Big Apple might be watching.