Why Driverless Trucks Matter to EV Drivers Too
Anyone following electric cars, charging networks and self-driving technology usually thinks first of robotaxis or their own car's autopilot mode. But arguably the most disruptive application of autonomous driving right now is unfolding on a completely different stage: freight. In some ways, driverless trucks are technically easier to pull off than robotaxis navigating a downtown core, because they mostly run on highways between fixed terminals and rarely have to handle complex intersections or dense city streets. This so-called hub-to-hub model, where the truck only takes over the long, monotonous highway stretch autonomously while a human driver still handles the last mile, is exactly what makes the technology commercially attractive and easier to get approved by regulators.
For anyone interested in electric mobility, the topic matters for several reasons. First, the sensors and software in autonomous trucks follow the same principles as in self-driving passenger cars: the same SAE levels of autonomous driving and the same sensor fusion of camera, radar and LiDAR. Second, many of the new truck fleets are already battery-electric or will be within a few years, since autonomous control systems are technically easier to integrate into an electric drivetrain and electrical architecture than into a classic diesel setup. Third, every new autonomous truck fleet creates additional, highly predictable demand for high-power charging infrastructure along major freight corridors, a topic that increasingly concerns highway charging park operators on both sides of the Atlantic. The article below breaks down where autonomous freight actually stands today, based on a recent analysis from the trucking industry outlet FreightWaves.
Source: FreightWaves – Autonomous Trucks Are HERE: Will They Replace Drivers? | Freight Expectations
Who's Really Leading in Autonomous Trucking
The FreightWaves analysis paints a picture of a field that has thinned out considerably in recent years. Of the many startups that once set out to revolutionize freight through automation, only a handful are genuinely close to commercial deployment today. Prominent early pioneers such as Embark, TuSimple and even Waymo Via have either shut down their trucking efforts or scaled them back dramatically. The reasons are varied: heavy capital requirements, technical setbacks, and the realization that safety and regulatory hurdles in freight are at least as demanding as in the robotaxi business.
Aurora Innovation as the Clear Frontrunner
Right now, Aurora Innovation is widely considered the clear market leader. The company already runs SAE Level 4 trucks in regular commercial service between Dallas and Houston on Interstate 45, with the Aurora Driver software handling all driving tasks so that no one is actively steering, braking or accelerating. On this specific route, an observer currently still rides along in the driver's seat as a precaution requested by the truck manufacturer, though they never touch the controls; several of Aurora's newer routes and next-generation trucks are already running with nobody in the cab at all. Either way, that is a crucial distinction from many test programs, where a human still sits behind the wheel for regulatory or precautionary reasons and can step in if needed. Aurora took that leap because the route is well-mapped, largely flat and highway-based, exactly the scenario where autonomous systems currently perform most reliably.
Kodiak Robotics and the First Driverless Delivery
Kodiak Robotics has hit an important milestone of its own: the first fully driverless commercial delivery ever completed, though not quite the one many expected. Rather than a 53-foot trailer cruising at roughly 65 mph on a Texas interstate, Kodiak's first driverless run hauled frac sand for customer Atlas Energy Solutions at around 10 mph, topping out near 15 mph, over unpaved oilfield roads in the Permian Basin in West Texas. What stands out about Kodiak's strategy is its dual approach: alongside the highway routes where it now also operates commercially, the company continues to pursue these much slower but lucrative niche jobs off public roads. Traffic is lighter there and speeds are lower, which further reduces the risk profile for early driverless operations.
Other Players: Waabi, Torc and Plus
Beyond the two frontrunners, several other companies are positioning themselves for the coming wave of commercialization:
- Waabi has signed a ten-year partnership with Uber Freight to run billions of miles with its so-called Waabi Driver across a network of connected carrier partners in the coming years.
- Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck, is technically far along but is targeting a driverless commercial launch only for 2027, considerably later than Aurora or Kodiak.
- Plus is working with Traton and the Navistar brand on a Level 4 solution to also enter the market for driverless semi-trucks.
- Former heavyweights such as Embark, TuSimple and Waymo Via have withdrawn from direct competition or wound down their programs entirely.
The core business model across nearly all these players looks similar today: hub-to-hub runs on highways between fixed terminals, while a human driver still handles the more complex last-mile leg through city traffic. This division of labor significantly reduces the technical burden, since highway driving is far more predictable, better mapped, and involves fewer unpredictable road users such as cyclists or pedestrians than a busy downtown.
What This Means for Drivers and the Industry
The central question raised in the source video is how fast, and how completely, autonomous trucks will actually replace human drivers. In the near term, the picture looks more like a complement than a full replacement. Hub-to-hub highway runs between distribution centers are among the least desirable shifts for many carriers, often overnight and over long, monotonous distances that already suffer from a chronic driver shortage. For drivers themselves, the job may shift rather than disappear entirely, moving away from pure long-haul driving toward terminal operations, last-mile delivery and fleet monitoring roles. At the same time, safety requirements and liability questions remain unresolved, especially once the first serious accidents involving driverless trucks occur in the US and courts and regulators have to sort out responsibility.
What Comes Next
The industry views the next two to three years as a decisive stretch. If Aurora and Kodiak scale their driverless fleets as planned without major safety incidents, confidence among carriers, insurers and regulators should rise considerably. That would also make the biggest hurdles facing autonomous driving overall easier to clear, since positive real-world experience from freight tends to spill over into the broader debate around robotaxis and self-driving passenger cars. Conversely, a single serious accident involving a driverless truck could set the entire industry back for years, much as earlier setbacks did for individual robotaxi operators.
Regulation and the Global Race
In the US, Aurora and Kodiak benefit from comparatively favorable regulatory conditions in states like Texas, which allowed autonomous test operations and commercial deployment relatively early. In Europe, and Germany specifically, the picture is more complex: German self-driving car laws now permit certain Level 4 applications within clearly defined operating zones, but large-scale driverless highway trucking is not yet on the horizon there. On the global stage, Chinese companies are also pushing autonomous trucking aggressively alongside US players, and the race between China, the US and Europe is increasingly showing very different speeds and strategies.
Electric Powertrains and Tomorrow's Charging Infrastructure
Another point that matters a lot for electric mobility: many planned generations of autonomous trucks are designed as battery-electric vehicles from the ground up. As with passenger cars, an electric drivetrain is often technically the more natural foundation for highly automated control systems, partly because electric motors can be controlled more precisely and with more redundancy than a conventional combustion engine. Anyone curious why the two trends go hand in hand can find more background in why self-driving cars are almost always electric. For autonomous truck fleets with high energy demands, this creates growing demand for powerful fast-charging hubs along major freight corridors, closely tied to the broader build-out covered in our EV road trip charging guide. Charging network operators already need to plan for predictable but very high charging loads from autonomous truck fleets, which, unlike private EVs, often need to charge around the clock within tight time windows.
Longer term, the key question is whether today's hub-to-hub model expands gradually, say to additional highway corridors in the US and eventually in Europe, or whether technical and regulatory limits slow that expansion more than expected today. The evolution of autonomous trucking is worth watching closely for anyone interested in the broader timeline toward full Level 5 self-driving, since freight currently offers the most realistic and most advanced real-world examples of autonomous systems running in genuine, continuous commercial operation.
Additional Video
For a look inside an OEM's own engineering roadmap rather than an industry-panel discussion, this behind-the-scenes breakdown of Volvo's autonomous truck program shows how a major manufacturer is building and testing driverless freight technology from the ground up.
Source: Commercial Carrier Journal – Inside Volvo's Autonomous Truck Program: A Complete Breakdown
Frequently Asked Questions
Are driverless trucks already running on public roads?
Yes, in Texas. Aurora runs trucks in regular commercial service on public highways between Dallas and Houston with no one actively driving, though on this route an observer who never touches the controls currently still rides along at the truck manufacturer's request; some of Aurora's newer routes already run with nobody in the cab at all. Kodiak runs driverless trucks on private oilfield roads in the Permian Basin. In Germany and most of Europe, only limited test programs exist so far, with no comparable driverless highway operations yet.
Which company is leading in autonomous trucking?
Aurora Innovation is currently considered the market leader, with driverless commercial service between Dallas and Houston. Kodiak Robotics follows closely, having completed the first fully driverless commercial delivery.
Will autonomous trucks put truck drivers out of work?
Not entirely, at least not in the short term. Autonomous systems are currently taking over long highway stretches between terminals, while the last mile and city driving still require human drivers.
Are most autonomous trucks electric?
Many current and planned autonomous truck generations are built as battery-electric vehicles, since highly automated control systems are technically easier to integrate into an electric drivetrain than into a conventional diesel powertrain.
