Dive Brief:
- Traton Group brands including Navistar, MAN and Scania are testing autonomous trucks on public roads in the U.S. and Europe with a safety driver on board and planning to pilot commercial operations this year.
- The companies will pilot commercial operations with fleets this year before starting production and deployment at scale, an effort happening through a partnership with AV software provider Plus, according to a news release.
- “Customer pilots are expected within the year, with commercial deployments expanding incrementally along strategic U.S. corridors,” a Navistar news release said.
Dive Insight:
AV companies have flocked to Texas to develop commercial capabilities, including Aurora Innovation, Gatik and Kodiak Robotics.
Navistar International trucks, joined by a safety driver and Plus AV technology, is adding itself to that mix.
“There is a strong business case for autonomous technology in the hub-to-hub distribution model, specifically in long-haul transportation where there's a compelling opportunity to increase operational efficiencies,” Tobias Glitterstam, Navistar chief strategy and transformation officer, said in the announcement.
Traton, a subsidiary of Volkswagen, developed the partnership with Plus over the last year, following earlier collaboration, according to the Santa Clara, California-based tech company.
“The teams have started testing their Level 4 autonomous trucks in the busy freight corridor between San Antonio and Dallas in Texas and will expand to other routes in the Texas triangle and I-10 corridor,” the release said. “Commercial deployments will expand incrementally along strategic U.S. corridors.”
