Autonomous vehicle startup Aurora Innovation has officially rolled out its commercial driverless trucking service in Texas, becoming the first company in the United States to launch a fully driverless heavy-duty truck operation for commercial freight on public roadways.
This milestone arrives right on Aurora’s adjusted timeline; the company previously pushed back its original 2024 launch schedule to April 2025. In doing so, Aurora has set itself apart from competitors like Kodiak Robotics, which began commercial autonomous trucking earlier this year, although Kodiak’s operations are limited to off-road commercial environments.
Aurora’s service started this week by conducting freight deliveries between the key Texas cities of Dallas and Houston for launch clients Hirschbach Motor Lines and Uber Freight. The company reports having already completed approximately 1,200 miles of driverless trucking. Aurora also shared plans to expand service routes to El Paso and Phoenix by the end of this year.
The commercial launch occurs amid economic challenges for autonomous trucking firms. Originally promoted as a solution for driver shortages and increased freight volumes, the technology now faces uncertainties due to reduced shipping demand and slowing consumer spending, largely attributed to trade impacts from current U.S. tariff policies.
Next week, Aurora is scheduled to release its first-quarter financial results and plans to offer additional insights into how ongoing trade tensions and reduced freight volumes may impact business in the coming months.
Earlier in 2025, Aurora took legal action against federal safety regulators, challenging required safety protocols such as deploying warning triangles if trucks experience highway emergencies—requirements inherently challenging without a human driver. Currently, as an interim compliance solution, Aurora is likely operating with a human-driven support vehicle trailing its autonomous trucks when they run commercially.
While navigating these regulatory and economic headwinds, Aurora remains focused on proving the safety and reliability of its autonomous technology and continues engaging legislators at both state and federal levels to support policies beneficial to broadening its driverless transportation capabilities.
