, Columnist
Driverless Freight Trucks Are Off to a Bumpy Start
Not quite driverless yet.
Photographer: Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg
Aurora Innovations Inc. began the first driverless operations of 18-wheelers on a stretch of road between Dallas and Houston in May with some fanfare. It turned out to be a false start.
That’s because Paccar Inc., the maker of the big rigs and Aurora’s partner, got cold feet about two weeks after the initial launch and requested that an “observer” ride in the driver’s seat. Aurora explained at the time that Paccar made this request because these initial trucks have “prototype parts.”