AuroraInnovationInc. , Kodiak Robotics Inc. and Gatik AI Inc. Three U.S. companies say driverless trucks will soon be cruising Texas highways after years of testing. The three companies, which have previously hauled goods for Walmart, Kroger, FedEx, Tyson Foods and other large companies, said they will have the ability to remove safety personnel from self-driving trucks. They noted that the greater difficulties faced by the company were financial pressures rather than safety concerns.
Although there is no room for error, the three companies believe the risk is worth it as the technology promises to improve safety and reduce shipping costs. Aurora is the only public company of the three, and co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson told the media, "We expect to start operating these trucks without drivers by the end of this year."
Aurora business roadmap source: Aurora official website
Currently, the U.S. federal government leaves regulatory authority over driverless technology to each state. Several previous accidents in San Francisco led California to suspend the operation of Cruise driverless taxis in October last year. In response, two of the three companies said that the difficulties encountered by Cruise were not a big problem for self-driving trucks.
Trucks largely deliver goods on fixed routes, mostly on highways, which involve far fewer interactions with other vehicles and pedestrians, they explained. In addition to saving drivers' wages, autonomous trucks are not subject to fatigue driving restrictions. In addition, a stable driving rhythm is expected to reduce emissions by at least 10%.
Opponents believe that the weight of the truck is more than 15 times that of Cruise driverless taxis, and the risks posed are fatal.
But analysis points out that human drivers cannot guarantee the safety of operations. According to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), 5,700 large trucks were involved in fatal accidents in the United States in 2021. There were no at-fault accidents during the testing of self-driving trucks equipped with safety personnel.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also emphasized many times that the autonomous driving system may be safer than human drivers. In this regard, JPMorgan Chase transportation industry analyst Brian Ossenbeck believes, "They must reach a level beyond ordinary people to gain widespread acceptance in the early stages. Who knows how long this will take."
Jeff Osborne, an analyst at the investment bank TDCowen, said that Wall Street will pay close attention to whether Aurora can achieve the goal of driverless driving by the end of 2024. He rated the stock as "market perform". If that doesn't happen, investors will raise financial concerns, Osborne added.
Gautam Narang, co-founder and CEO of startup GatikAI, said in an interview that the company expects to deploy driverless trucks on a "large scale" in the Dallas, Texas, area in 2024.
Currently, GatikAI has deployed such trucks in Arkansas and Canada, and the company will participate in the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas next week.
As for Kodiak Robotics, according to company CEO Don Burnette, Kodiak plans to start small and gradually increase the scope of deployment as confidence is built.
"We've already seen the damage to confidence caused by accidents, like the (Cruise) autonomous taxis in San Francisco," Burnette said.