In a significant leap forward for the self-driving truck industry, Torc Robotics is preparing to enter the productization phase of their autonomous truck offering. With over nineteen years of experience in pioneering self-driving technology, Torc Robotics is now focused on commercializing autonomous trucks for long-haul applications in the United States. Torc is collaborating with Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), their 51% owner and development partner, to lock in product specifications and test all facets of their production-intent system.
To support their expansion into new markets, Torc is establishing operations in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas. The concentration of transportation engineering talent in Eastern Michigan makes it an ideal location for continued innovation and development in autonomous vehicle technology. Meanwhile, Dallas/Fort Worth offers a strategic advantage due to its proximity to a critical test route from Dallas to Laredo on Interstate 35.
Torc has already begun winding down its testing operation in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and will be shifting resources to their new locations. Over the coming months, Torc plans to hire over 100 positions in both Dallas and Ann Arbor, further strengthening their team.
A key milestone leading to this announcement was the successful product validation of Torc’s autonomous trucks. In a closed-course environment, Torc’s trucks operated at 65 miles per hour without a driver, emulating real-world conditions. This validation demonstrated the reliability of Torc’s technology and marked the company’s transition from engineering development to production intent hardware, software, and chassis.
Andrew Culhane, Chief Commercial Officer at Torc Robotics, emphasized the significance of this achievement in moving towards commercialization. He stated, “Having a cool technology is interesting; having a great product is awesome; having a successful scalable profitable business is the real goal. And these milestones set us up to be on that path.”
As Torc moves closer to their 2027 launch goal, their focus will be on working closely with fleet partners to understand the operation of autonomous trucks in real-world scenarios. They will address various factors such as vehicle inspections, job roles in the yard, launch and recovery procedures, and mission control.
While the specific fleet partners for Torc’s driverless vehicles on Interstate 35 have not yet been named, industry leaders Schneider and C.R. England are mentioned as key partners. Torc expects that their first live driverless operations will take place on the freight lane between Dallas/Fort Worth and Laredo.
Drivers and truck enthusiasts can anticipate the sight of the brand new Cascadia trucks equipped with Torc’s autonomous technology on the road as Torc ramps up their operations. With a fully integrated AV kit and fully redundant chassis, these trucks are set to revolutionize the trucking industry, paving the way for safe and robust autonomous trucking solutions in the near future.
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