Autonomous trucking firm Aurora, in collaboration with Continental, achieves a key milestone, finalizing hardware for widespread deployment on U.S. roads by 2027, according to a Dallas Morning News article. They say, 

“Thousands of self-driving trucks could be on U.S. roads by 2027 following a Friday announcement by autonomous trucking firm Aurora Innovation.

Together with Continental, Pittsburgh-based Aurora said it has finalized the architecture and requirements of its Aurora Driver hardware — an important milestone that will allow the company to scale its driverless trucks and deliver them to commercial partners including PACCAR and Volvo.”

Aurora Innovation, Kodiak Robotics, and Gatik AI plan to deploy driverless trucks in Texas, aiming for safer, automated cargo transport with major industry partnerships, according to a Microsoft Start article. They report,

“Driverless trucks with no humans on board will soon cruise Texas highways if three startup firms have their way, despite objections from critics who say financial pressures, not safety, is behind the timetable.

After years of testing, Aurora Innovation, Kodiak Robotics and Gatik AI expect to remove safety drivers from trucks that are being guided by software and an array of sensors including cameras, radar and lidar, which sends pulses of light that bounces off objects. The companies have already hauled cargo for big names such as Walmart Inc., Kroger Co., FedEx Corp. and Tyson Foods Inc.”

Advocates argue autonomous trucks enhance safety, allowing human drivers to focus on shorter, preferred routes, tackling risky and tedious tasks.