Driverless Semis To Start Hauling Freight Along Texas Highways

SAN ANGELO, TX - Imagine this, a semi rounding a curve down heavy Interstate 45 traffic, but no one is on board. 

Up ahead, the truck's sensors spot a disturbance in traffic. In less than a second, it signals, moves into the unobstructed lane, and trucks along like nothing even happened. 

Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. owns the self-driving semi, which is outfitted with 25 laser, radar, and camera sensors. 

Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks.

Aurora and its competitors expect to install thousands of self-driving trucks on America’s public freeways within three or four years. 

According to the company, the goal is for the trucks, which can run nearly around the clock without breaks, to speed up the flow of goods and accelerate delivery times.

A January AAA poll found that 66% of Americans said they would fear riding in an autonomous vehicle.

But in less than nine months, trucks with Aurora's systems will start carrying loads between terminals for FedEx, Uber Freight, Werner, and others. 

Aurora and most rivals plan to start running freight routes in Texas, where snow and ice are generally rare.

However, safety advocates warn that with almost no federal regulation, it will be mainly up to the companies to decide when the semis are safe enough to operate without humans on board.

Aurora and other companies argue that years of testing show their trucks will be safer than human-driven ones. 

Information states that the vehicles' laser and radar sensors can “see” farther than human eyes. The trucks never tire, get distracted, or become impaired by alcohol or drugs.

A federal database that started in June 2021 shows at least 13 crashes with other vehicles involving autonomous semis, including three involving Aurora. In all cases, the crashes were caused by other vehicles.

Federal agencies lack the authority to prevent autonomous vehicles from using the roads. If something goes wrong, though, they can require recalls or order trucks out of service.