Texas Highways Could See Driverless Semi-Trucks Sooner Than You Think
One of the busiest trucking routes in Texas is about to make history. Later this month, Aurora Innovation, a leading developer in self-driving technology will roll out (Optimus Prime pun totally intended) an AI-powered, sensor-laden driverless semi-truck onto Interstate 45, plying between Dallas and Houston. Following years of vigorous but closed testing, "Aurora Driver," as the system is called, is ready for the real world. But how the real world takes to possibly Maximum Overdrive coming to life is another matter altogether.
The commercial trucking business could be in for another major change. A truck outfitted with LiDARs, sensors, and bespoke software will be driving the 200-mile stretch of I-45 between Dallas and Houston WITHOUT a driver. Until now, other autonomous trucks always had backup drivers in the cab, but Aurora's version will be the first to go all "Christine" on us.
Actually, Aurora believes that its system (and driverless vehicles in general) is better and safer than real people behind the wheel, so there's no reason to fear the truck running amok chasing down hapless drivers. The company site proudly declares that "at Aurora, we believe that the benefits of self-driving technology will increase efficiency and mobility, while bringing a reliable driver supply and heightened safety to America’s roads."
Precluding the I-45 test run, Aurora has been clocking plenty of days with testing the trucks and the Aurora Driver suite in closed environments, as well as virtual simulations of real-world conditions, to affirm reliability, resilience, and fail safety capabilities. In fact, the recent safety validation report published by Aurora concluded that its "self-driving vehicles are acceptably safe to operate on public roads" with an Autonomy Readiness score of 97%.
Aurora's goal for this test is not just about safety, but also about money. If this program goes well, the plan is to lease the software and technology to truck manufacturers (like Volvo's VNL lineup), that will ultimately be sold to logistics companies. Going driverless has the potential to help with the ongoing driver shortage crisis while increasing productivity and efficiency. On the other hand, driverless vehicles could be the death knell for a human workforce that already struggles with low wages and poor working conditions.
We're definitely looking to seeing how the I-45 trial goes. Short term, there's definitely the wow-factor, but long term: it's one thing to test Aurora Driver in an virtual world and another to navigate this important truck route. We'd love to see how the truck deals with crazy drivers in Dallas during rush hour.
