Aurora partners with McLane to operate autonomous trucks in Texas

Techub News, according to TechCrunch, Aurora Innovation has announced a commercial agreement with distribution giant McLane to deploy autonomous trucks on the Dallas-to-Houston route, without a safety driver onboard but with a human observer. The company plans to expand the service to more distribution center routes in the U.S. Sun Belt region by the end of the year. The two parties launched a pilot program in 2023, initially with a safety operator, and have now received approval to operate autonomously seven days a week. After Aurora trucks complete long-haul transportation, the cargo will be handed over to McLane drivers at terminal stations for local delivery. This partnership marks a significant step in the company’s transition from technology development to commercial operations, following similar agreements with Detmar Logistics and Hirschbach Motor Lines.