Texas highways welcome first wave of self-driving freight trucks

What just happened? Drivers cruising along I-45 between Dallas and Houston may soon spot semi-trucks with no one behind the wheel. Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle company Aurora Innovation is launching fully driverless operations along this busy 200-mile stretch. According to Axios, the company plans to start with a single autonomous truck and gradually expand its operations. The rollout marks one of the first real-world deployments of driverless freight trucks on public roads – something long promised but rarely delivered at scale. Texas has emerged as the unofficial proving ground for this technology, thanks to its extensive freight corridors, business-friendly regulations, and generally predictable weather. Several companies aim to launch fully autonomous trucks in the state by 2026, but Aurora is gaining an early lead. Kodiak Robotics, another key player in the space, has already logged over 750 driverless hours – although only on private tracks in West Texas so far. The pus ... Read full article.