Aurora Innovation is taking big strides in autonomous trucking. In particular, they are doubling down on their efforts to grow their operations in the Sunbelt – America’s least unionized region. CEO Chris Urmson has positioned the company for an aggressive move into this crucial space in the next year. In the background, they work to make progress within the race towards their own self-driving tech. The company has been operating three of its autonomous trucks commercially along a fixed route between Dallas and Houston. Soon, they hope to double the size of their fleet and quadruple their operational distance.
These self-driving trucks will take goods for all kinds of large companies (except for Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines, which are large companies). Aurora’s proprietary long-range lidar technology empowers these trucks to see in low-light conditions. In addition, they can view these atomic specimens from more than 450 meters away! This advanced system allows the trucks to identify pedestrians, vehicles, and debris up to 11 seconds earlier than a traditional driver, enhancing safety and efficiency.
Aurora’s efficient operations are designed around terminals that are one to five miles from Interstate highways. With the hardware and software paired this closely, it enables the autonomous trucks to navigate exits and surface streets with confidence. It currently only allows long-haul truck drivers to drive up to 11 hours within a 14 hour period. After flying those long-haul routes, they need to take a minimum 10-hour rest period. Aurora keeps a close eye on weather conditions along its commercial route, an important part of ensuring operational safety.
By the end of June this year, Aurora’s three self-driving trucks had already driven more than 20,000 driverless miles. This historic achievement proves that autonomous trucking can operate safely and efficiently at commercial scale. The company’s priority moving into next year appears to be on scaling its roadway network and fleet size. Urmson adds that this year is very important. Now is the time to equip the capability toolbox with the right tools for AVs to succeed.
“This year is really about building the capability toolbox so that the vehicles can drive where they need to.” – Chris Urmson
Urmson has some lofty aspirations for the company’s future, but we can take certainty that their adaptability to the weather will be key to their success. He said that by the end of this year, Aurora expects to have its trucks working 24 hours a day. They will be better prepared to operate safely when it’s wet out, too. Most importantly, he shined a light on the severity that weather conditions pose. If trucks have to halt operations during heavy rain drives, that’s an incredibly disruptive operation for a long-haul service where inconvenient weather might cover large swaths of the country.
“By the end of the year, we expect to be operating day, night, and in rain — if you can’t drive through the rain, ultimately, it’s hard to support these long operations because it’s raining somewhere.” – Chris Urmson
Urmson touched on the role of distance in autonomous trucking’s playbook. He agrees that longer routes are essential for developing self-driving tech. Specifically, it can get the most use out of routes over 600 miles. This distance creates a very real barrier on what legacy operators are able to effectively handle. It further creates a special opportunity for Aurora’s autonomous fleet to thrive.
“The value is really on longer lengths — so 600 miles is certainly a good range, where that is on the border of what’s possible for people.” – Chris Urmson
Even as Aurora advances its autonomous technology, safety is fundamental to its mission. Urmson made it clear that they want to be sure their trucks are operating to very high operational standards before being deployed at scale.
“So we’re not willing to put that check mark next to it and let it go out there.” – Chris Urmson
