Overview
- A commercial agreement announced Wednesday moves McLane’s Dallas–Houston loads to Aurora-operated driverless trucks that carry a non-driving human observer at truck maker Paccar’s request.
- Aurora and McLane plan to add routes linking McLane distribution centers across the Sun Belt by the end of the year to tap dense, repeatable freight flows in warmer-weather states.
- Aurora says a next-generation hardware kit on the International LT will enable observer-free operation starting in Q2, with more than 200 driverless trucks expected on the road by year-end.
- The deployment builds on a 2023 pilot that ran two round-trips daily, logged about 280,000 autonomous miles, and used a handoff model where McLane drivers make local deliveries after terminal drop-offs.
- Aurora shares rose roughly 11% after the news, as the company highlighted growing customer interest including Hirschbach’s stated intent to operate 500 Aurora-powered trucks.