International Motors has teamed up with Ryder System to launch a daily 600-mile round trip along the Interstate 35 corridor, running between Laredo and Temple. The route is already producing measurable results, with early data showing a 100% on-time delivery rate and 92% autonomous route coverage. Each run is still overseen by a human safety driver.

From Testing Grounds to Active Operations

This program stands apart from earlier trials that relied heavily on controlled environments or dedicated terminals. Instead, the focus here is simple: run the equipment through the same facilities, schedules, and pressures that define everyday freight movement.

Ryder becomes the first participant in International’s autonomous fleet trial, putting the technology directly into a high-demand logistics network rather than isolating it from real-world variables.

“Operating an AV in an active logistics network… allows us to validate the technology where it matters most—on a real lane, moving real freight, for a real customer,” said Seth deVlugt, senior director of RyderVentures at Ryder.

Equipment Built for Integration

At the center of the pilot is International’s second-generation autonomous tractor. The unit is based on the LT Series platform and paired with the S13 Integrated Powertrain. It also features the PlusAI SuperDrive system along with factory-integrated lidar, radar, and camera technology.

The emphasis is not just on autonomy itself, but on how seamlessly it fits into existing fleet operations without requiring major infrastructure changes.

James Cooper, head of autonomous solutions at International, said the partnership is focused on delivering a “factory-ready” solution that mirrors the reliability of traditional trucks.

What Early Performance Data Shows

Initial results suggest the system is holding up under real scheduling demands. Pre-trip inspections are averaging under 30 minutes, aligning with standard fleet expectations rather than adding extra downtime.

Fuel efficiency has also improved compared to traditional manual driving, pointing to potential cost advantages if performance holds over time.

Beyond those metrics, uptime and serviceability are key areas being tracked as both companies look to understand how the technology performs over longer periods.

Why This Matters for the Road Ahead

Long-haul routes like the I-35 corridor offer a controlled but demanding environment, making them a practical starting point for scaling autonomous operations. Consistent highway driving, well-defined lanes, and high freight volume create conditions in which the technology can be tested thoroughly.

The broader goal is not just to prove that autonomy works, but to determine where it works best. That includes identifying lanes where efficiency gains are strongest and refining the equipment for wider deployment.

What Comes Next

International and Ryder plan to continue collecting operational data as the pilot progresses. The long-term objective is to move from trial runs to scalable, commercial-ready solutions that can be integrated into everyday freight networks.

For now, the Texas route provides a working snapshot of what autonomous trucking looks like when it leaves the test track and starts handling real loads on a real schedule.

The post Autonomous Truck Pilot Expands into Real Freight Lanes in Texas appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

The state named Cavnue LLC to lead the effort, which will focus on improving safety, easing congestion, and testing connected freight systems in real-world conditions.

What This Pilot Is Designed to Do

This project marks the first time TDOT is dedicating a full initiative to smart freight technology. Instead of testing in controlled environments, the work will happen on an active freight corridor where traffic, delays, and day-to-day challenges are already part of the job.

“This project is TDOT’s first dedicated smart freight initiative, allowing the department to partner with Cavnue to test smart freight technologies in real-world conditions while the state maintains control of the roadway, data, and future decisions,” TDOT said. “In the coming months, the firm will begin project planning and design work under TDOT oversight. Upon TDOT approval, the project will advance to temporary on-road testing, followed by a final evaluation to inform future freight and infrastructure decisions.”

The goal is straightforward. Gather real data from actual operations and use it to guide long-term decisions on infrastructure and freight movement across the state.

What Will Happen on the Corridor

The pilot will roll out in phases, starting with planning and moving into live testing. Work includes:

• Detailed analysis of the corridor and existing infrastructure
• Development of how the system will operate day to day
• Installation of temporary roadside and in-cab technology
• Collection of real-time traffic and freight data
• Evaluation of safety performance and operational impact
• Ongoing coordination with stakeholders

This stretch of I-40 is already one of the busiest freight routes in Tennessee, and that traffic is only expected to increase with continued industrial growth around Blue Oval City.

“The I-40 corridor serves one of Tennessee’s busiest and most economically vital freight routes,” TDOT said. “With rapid industrial growth in West Tennessee, including major investments in and around Blue Oval City, freight volumes are expected to continue to increase in the coming years.”

Why This Matters for Freight Movement

The pilot is designed to answer some key questions about how emerging technology can actually perform under pressure. That includes whether connected systems can help reduce backups, improve response times during incidents, and make overall traffic flow more predictable.

TDOT is also looking at how these systems can work across multiple fleets, not just a single carrier or test group.

The full pilot is expected to run through 2028, covering everything from early design to a full year of performance evaluation once testing is complete.

A Step Toward Long-Term Changes

State leadership is framing this as part of a broader push to keep infrastructure aligned with how freight is evolving.

“Tennessee continues to lead the nation in building an innovative and efficient transportation network,” said Governor Bill Lee. “This pilot strengthens one of our most important freight corridors and supports continued economic development in West Tennessee. By embracing new technology, we’re ensuring our infrastructure keeps pace with the needs of Tennesseans and the industries that drive our economy.”

Transportation officials also see this as groundwork for what comes next.

“This pilot represents a forward-looking investment in Tennessee’s freight network and an important step toward preparing our infrastructure for the next generation of freight mobility,” said Will Reid, TDOT commissioner.

What Comes Next

The project is now moving into its planning and design phase, with testing to follow after state approval. More updates are expected as the work progresses.

For now, this corridor will serve as one of the first real looks at how connected freight technology performs where it matters most, out on the road with live traffic and active loads.

The post Tennessee Launches Smart Freight Corridor Pilot on I-40 Between Memphis and Blue Oval City appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

Tripling Its Driverless Network

The Pittsburgh-based company said it has tripled its driverless trucking network to 10 routes. Aurora’s latest software update allows its Aurora Driver autonomous control system to handle longer lanes, reach customer endpoints directly, and navigate a wider range of adverse weather conditions.

“As expanding across the Sun Belt and introducing customer endpoints enables us to provide our customers with the capacity they need to move goods at a scale that wasn’t possible before,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora. “Being a carrier is a game of margins, and if autonomy can work around the clock, it will be key to growing our customers’ businesses.”

Driverless Lanes Across the Sun Belt

Aurora now operates driverless freight lanes on key southern corridors, including:

• Dallas to Houston
• Fort Worth to El Paso
• El Paso to Phoenix
• Fort Worth to Phoenix
• Dallas to Laredo

The new Fort Worth to Phoenix route, approximately 1,000 miles, exceeds current HOS limits for a single driver. Aurora says operating without mandatory rest breaks allows the Aurora Driver to reduce transit times and increase equipment utilization.

Early Customers and Miles Logged

Companies like Hirschbach Motor Lines are already testing the Fort Worth–Phoenix lane, supporting long-haul freight. Aurora reports more than 250,000 driverless miles as of January 2026 with zero Aurora Driver-attributed collisions.

Aurora is also expanding supervised autonomous deliveries to customer facilities, including:

• Hirschbach Motor Lines – Dallas to Laredo for Driscoll’s
• Detmar Logistics – Midland to Capital Sand’s mining site in Monahans, Texas
• A Phoenix-based facility for one of the largest U.S. carriers

Weather Handling Improvements

The new software update allows Aurora Driver to operate in challenging conditions such as rain, fog, and heavy winds. Aurora noted that weather previously limited driverless operations in Texas about 40% of the time, and this update is expected to boost uptime and vehicle utilization across the varied Sun Belt climate.

Scaling Toward 200+ Trucks

Aurora plans to launch its next-generation hardware kit on the International LT Series platform in Q2 2026, operating without a ride observer. The company expects over 200 autonomous trucks on the road by year-end and reports that commercial truck capacity is fully booked through Q3 2026, highlighting rising demand for autonomous freight.

What This Means for Truck Drivers

While Aurora continues to expand driverless operations, the technology is currently supplementing traditional trucking rather than replacing it entirely. Human drivers remain critical for route supervision, maintenance, and customer interactions, particularly on complex delivery runs.

Source: Trucking Info

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Advancing Automation with Strategic Cooperation

This initiative stems from a partnership between the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT)’s DriveOhio program and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The goal? Pave the way for broader adoption of automation in the American Midwest’s logistics sector.

Historically, testing for automated vehicles has been concentrated in regions with stable, predictable weather. However, ODOT emphasizes the necessity of validating these systems under harsher conditions to ensure safety and reliability, particularly in environments like the Midwest, which is prone to adverse weather patterns.

How Platooning Works

The two Ease Logistics trucks are equipped with advanced platooning technology from Kratos Defense. This system electronically links the two vehicles, allowing the lead truck’s driver to manage both speed and steering for its partner vehicle. During stretches of the trips, the follower truck will automatically handle essential functions like steering, braking, and adjusting speed.

Despite the automated capabilities, professional drivers always remain in the driver’s seats of both trucks. These drivers can take complete control of their vehicles if needed by disabling the automated systems.

“At Kratos, we have adapted advanced automated truck platooning technology — originally developed for the U.S. military — to address critical challenges facing commercial logistics, agriculture, energy, and mining sectors, all vital to national security,” said Maynard Factor, VP of Business Development at Kratos Defense. “This project offers a real-world opportunity to demonstrate how proven automated driving systems can increase safety, strengthen supply chain resilience, and ensure economic vitality.”

Factor also highlighted the value of demonstrating these systems along the Columbus-to-Indianapolis corridor, noting the importance of testing in complex, variable weather conditions. “to showcase performance in complex, all-weather conditions essential to Midwest freight operations and accelerates readiness for broad adoption.”

Smarter Trucks for Safer Roads

The trucks are also outfitted with cutting-edge sensors and cameras that allow the following vehicle to detect objects and adjust speed or stop if anything enters the space between the two trucks. Unlike traditional truck formations, the closely-platooned follower truck maintains a much shorter gap than usual. To ensure transparency, a purple light on the cab indicates when the platooning mode is engaged, alerting law enforcement and nearby drivers that the trucks are digitally connected.

Funding and Broader Goals

This deployment is just one element of a multi-year, $8.8 million endeavor funded partly by a U.S. Department of Transportation grant. The overarching aim is to integrate platooning and other automation technologies into regular freight-hauling workflows, experimenting with various automation levels to uncover their full potential in trucking fleets.

Source:  Commerical Carrier Journal
Source Image: SAE International

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What are the HDT Top 20 Awards?

The HDT Top 20 Products honor cutting-edge innovations designed to solve critical industry challenges and enhance fleet operations. This exclusive list is selected by HDT editors in collaboration with a panel of fleet managers, focusing on products that demonstrate the following qualities:

• Innovation

• Ability to address key industry issues

• Potential to improve fleet performance and profitability

To be eligible for consideration, products must have been featured in HDT’s editorial coverage—either on the website or in the magazine—and be commercially available or scheduled for release within the year. Prototypes and concept products are not eligible, and each company can only receive one award annually. Entire vehicles are also excluded from the selection process.

The Selection Process

“It’s not enough for a product to simply be innovative,” explained Deborah Lockridge, Editor and Associate Publisher of HDT. “By including fleet managers in determining the Top 20 Products award, we provide our audience a list of products that have the potential to address pain points and help them succeed in a fast-changing and competitive industry.”

Celebrating the Winners

The 2025 honorees represent a wide range of solutions designed to optimize operations, enhance safety, and improve efficiency across the supply chain. These products will be recognized with individual ceremonies held at the winners’ booths during the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) annual meeting in Nashville this March.

Here’s the full list of the 2025 Top 20 Products:

HDT’s 2025 Top 20 Products

1. Anyline Commercial Tire Tread Scanner With AI-powered technology, this solution uses any smartphone or mobile device camera to easily measure tire tread depth in seconds.
2. Aperia Technologies Halo Connect i3 Tread Diagnostics Suite This advanced system offers both automatic tire inflation and detailed monitoring, making tire maintenance faster and smarter.
3. Bosch RevX Dispatcher Optimization Tool Simplify spot market navigation with this tool that helps fleets book optimal loads, reduce deadhead miles, and improve productivity.
4. Dragonfly Energy’s Dragonfly IntelLigence This patent-pending smart battery technology provides real-time visibility into lithium power systems, improving battery life and system performance.
5. Electrans Technologies and Stoughton Trailers Auto Connect System This system automates truck-trailer connections for air, electrical, and communication lines, saving time and reducing errors.
6. Emergency Safety Solutions HELP DeliverSafe A revolutionary digital alert system that enhances hazard lighting by sending alerts to nearby vehicles via navigation apps.
7. IMI in Partnership with Redcat: Lug Linx Wheel Safety System This system allows fleets to identify potential wheel detachment or damage early, improving safety and reducing risks on the road.
8. Intangles InRoute Connect This solution enhances maintenance turnaround for commercial vehicles, minimizing downtime and improving efficiency.
9. ISEE Trailer Auto Coupling System An AI-powered coupling system designed for autonomous yard trucks, offering a fully automated trailer connection process.
10. Netradyne Driver•i Drowsy Driver Detection This system uses advanced sensors to identify and address the earliest stages of driver drowsiness, improving safety.
11. Optronics International Temperature-Sensitive Heated LEDs Engineered to melt ice and snow with temperature-sensitive heating, these LEDs ensure clear lighting in extreme weather conditions.
12. Outrider AI-Driven Autonomous Yard Management Built for fluid yard operations, Outrider’s AI perception technology streamlines autonomous yard management.
13. Penske Truck Leasing Catalyst AI Penske’s AI-based fleet management platform delivers real-time performance insights while benchmarking against peer fleets.
14. Phillips Industries T/T Pair This tractor-trailer pairing solution improves connectivity and enhances operational insights for secure and efficient fleet activity.
15. Samsara Intelligence A suite of AI tools enabling fleet managers to make smarter operational decisions and run safer, more efficient fleets.
16. Ten5 Voice Messenger Hands-free communication for drivers and managers using AI-powered voice prioritization, simplifying fleet communication.
17. TenStreet Pulse+ By leveraging generative AI, this system automates recruiting tasks, enabling faster applicant engagement and connection.
18. Transtex DClimate eAPU Designed for driver comfort, this solution offers cooling in sleepers without requiring engine idling, reducing fuel consumption.
19. Uptake Tire Insights AI An advanced tire management platform that improves fleet tire health monitoring and optimizes replacement schedules.
20. ZF Group AxTrax 2 A compact axle-based system that creates more space for batteries on electric vehicles and supports new OEM chassis designs.

Celebrating Innovation

The 2025 HDT Top 20 Products represent the pinnacle of innovation, offering practical solutions to the industry’s most pressing challenges. If your fleet is ready to tackle operational pain points, enhance safety, and boost its bottom line, these award-winning products deserve your attention.

Keep an eye out for the winner spotlights during the TMC event in Nashville this March!

Source: Trucking Info

Image: HDT

The post Heavy Duty Trucking Reveals 2025 Top 20 Trucking Products appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.

CNBC recently tackled this burning question in a segment on the future of autonomous trucking. And unlike other media reports, they didn’t just rely on the hype. They actually spoke to a real trucker for a dose of reality.

Enter Doug Smith, a level-headed owner-operator from Utah and a member of the OOIDA Board. In his interview, he sheds light on the true potential and limitations of autonomous trucks.

“I think there are tremendous opportunities for driver assist to improve safety and less driver fatigue,” Smith said. “But I cannot see 80,000-pound trucks in my lifetime running up and down the road as just harmless gentle giants.”

CNBC’s coverage highlights Aurora, an autonomous vehicle company on the cusp of revolutionizing transportation. With their cutting-edge technology, they are nearing the exciting milestone of achieving fully driverless operations.

“Today, if you want to take strawberries from California to Dallas, it takes about three days,” said Chris Urmson, Aurora’s co-founder and CEO. “With the Aurora driver, you’ll be able to do that in about 24 hours.”

Supporters of this technology will tell you the safety benefits as well as the significant cost savings potential. According to experts, a truck’s daily mileage could skyrocket from 450 or 500 miles to over 1,000 miles. This translates to increased profitability for truck operators.

It’s important to note, however, that while the technology has safety benefits, it also poses numerous safety challenges that need to be addressed.

“Despite the various claims that autonomous vehicles will lead to zero deaths, there continue to be real-world situations in which automation has devastatingly failed,” the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association wrote in comments filed earlier this year to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. “While autonomous vehicles might improve safety under certain conditions, they create new risks with dangerous outcomes.”

In a segment aired in 2020 on “60 Minutes,” Linda Allen, a member of the OOIDA board, voiced her concerns.

“There are too many things that can go wrong,” Allen said during the segment. “I was on I-75 last month. There was a bad accident, and the state trooper came out and started hand-signaling vehicles, ‘You go here. You go there.’ How’s an autonomous truck going to recognize what an officer wants you to do? How’s that going to work?”

Smith had doubts about the technology’s performance in unfavorable weather conditions.

“You don’t see anyone talking about autonomous trucking north of Interstate 40, where the snow falls,” the Utah trucker said. “And the kind of trucking I do, I’m pretty sure it will never be replaced by autonomous trucks.”

Smith opposes the notion that autonomous trucks are the solution to a shortage of drivers.

“The driver shortage has been talked about forever, but it’s really a retention problem. Every year, there are 450,000 new CDLs (issued),” Smith said. “Many of them are called 90-day wonders because after 90 days, they’re like, ‘This is not for me.’”

Aurora and other companies are pushing to introduce autonomous trucking technology urgently, despite Aurora’s significant financial losses. It is crucial, however, for regulators and lawmakers to carefully consider the opinions and concerns of truck drivers, as their decisions will have a lasting impact on the industry.

“While we are still years away from fully automated trucks, decisions made today will have a significant impact on the deployment of autonomous vehicle technologies, ADS-equipped commercial motor vehicles, and, ultimately, on the livelihood of professional truck drivers and the economy at large,” OOIDA wrote. “Elected officials, federal regulators and our industry partners must develop autonomous vehicle policies in a responsible manner that considers the perspective of American truckers.”

Source: Land Line

The post The Future of Autonomous Trucks: Hype vs. Reality. A Truck Driver’s Perspective appeared first on Truck Drivers USA.