A semi truck navigated the heavy traffic on a five-lane highway in Texas, allowing a compact car to pass on the right before accelerating past another tractor-trailer on the left.
Inside the sunlit cabin, a middle-aged man sat in the rear seat watching videos on his phone, while a 53-foot refrigerated trailer hauled nearly 25,000 pounds of baked goods.
Remarkably, no one occupied the driver’s seat.
Last month, Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation became the first company to deploy a fully autonomous 18-wheeler on an American highway, marking a significant milestone that could transform freight transportation across the country.
Supporters of autonomous trucking argue that these vehicles could address critical challenges in the U.S. shipping sector, which faces a shortage of drivers willing to undertake demanding and low-paid long-haul routes, even as cargo volumes are projected to surge due to growing online retail demand.
Unlike human drivers, these self-driving trucks do not require rest breaks, are immune to speeding or aggressive behavior, avoid inefficient braking and unnecessary lane changes that waste fuel, and are not constrained by federally mandated daily driving limits designed to ensure safety.
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