Pennsylvania-based Aurora Innovation, Inc. has launched a commercial self-driving trucking service in the state of Texas, conducting customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston. The driverless trucking service will use Aurora’s flagship product “Aurora Driver” — a self-driving system that can see over 1,400 feet ahead. The company says the truck is capable of spotting and reacting to pedestrians up to 11 seconds sooner than human drivers at highway speeds at night. To date, the Aurora Driver has completed over 1,200 miles without a driver, making Aurora the first company to operate a commercial self-driving service with heavy-duty trucks on public roads. Aurora plans to expand its driverless service to El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix, Ariz., by the end of 2025. Meanwhile, autonomous trucks pose a critical employment issue for truck drivers. “For Big Tech companies to think they can come into any state and replace the jobs of hardworking union members with this dangerous and inferior technology is an insult to professional drivers everywhere,” said Peter Finn, President of Teamsters Joint Council 7.
