We are on the cusp of a new era in transportation. Autonomous vehicles are no longer just a concept — they are being deployed in trucking, passenger mobility, agriculture, and mining, paving the way for a safer, more efficient future.
Aurora’s plans to deploy self-driving trucks onto public roads in Texas will bring the benefits of autonomy directly to our supply chain and economy. We believe introducing this new technology will create economic value for our customers and improve road safety for the communities in which we operate.
There were nearly 6 million traffic crashes in the U.S. in 2022, resulting in more than 42,500 deaths — with nearly 6,000 fatalities involving large truck crashes and more than 4,400 vehicle traffic deaths in Texas alone. In fact, the Texas Department of Transportation’s #EndtheStreakTX initiative reports that Texas has lost at least one person every day on Texas roads since Nov. 7, 2000. We can and should do better.
Autonomous vehicles will be part of how we reverse this trend. That’s why Aurora is working closely with government leaders, regulators, first responders, and communities ahead of the deployment of our self-driving technology. When we first started testing in Texas in 2021, we committed to doing so with trust, open communication, and transparency. We worked closely with our partners in government by being proactive in our engagement to ensure that we answered all of their questions so that no one would ever be surprised. After all, we believe that our mission is aligned with that of governments across the nation: to have safer roads, a stronger economy, and a more reliable and efficient transportation system.
In the past year alone, Aurora team members have met or communicated with more than 500 government leaders, including legislators, agency regulators, and staff at all levels of government. We have also engaged with more than 1,000 community members through meetings, testimonies, and events, with a focus on Texas in the regions where we’ll launch our self-driving trucks. By doing so, when we introduce this new technology on public roads, we strive to make sure that our government partners and the communities where we operate have a vested interest in our success.
In recent years, Aurora CEO Chris Urmson and Chief Safety Officer Nat Beuse testified before the United States House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, and a member of our team testified before the Texas legislature. We have been purposeful and deliberate in building a team with the expertise required to deploy autonomous vehicles safely, and our team was honored to share our perspective with these legislative leaders.
We expect to deploy up to 10 self-driving trucks in commercial operations between Dallas and Houston in the first half of 2025.
In Texas, where we plan to deploy self-driving trucks in commercial operations, we have worked closely with regulators like the Texas Department of Transportation and Texas Department of Public Safety to regularly share our progress and solicit their feedback. We also coordinate with local law enforcement agencies like the Frisco Police Department, with whom we conducted more than 800 first responder road tests to help prepare for safe, reliable interactions with emergency vehicles. We’ve also worked with the U.S. Border Patrol to develop training programs and specially-designed signage to help autonomous trucks comply with mandated inspection protocols. Not only do we want to make sure that first responders understand how to interact with the Aurora Driver, but they have been essential in helping to train our technology to safely interact with their vehicles.
We are proud of the trust we have built with policymakers and community leaders through our transparent and engaged approach. And as we begin self-driving operations, we remain committed to continuing open, transparent dialogue about our product and its capabilities – and working together to create a safer, more efficient transportation system for everyone.
