Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Jan. 3, 2022:
Autonomous truck driving technology startup TuSimple said it successfully completed last month what it bills as "the world's first fully autonomous semi-truck run on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention."
The run took place Dec. 22 with TuSimple's up-fitted autonomous semi-truck beginning its journey from a rail yard in Tucson, Arizona, and traveling more than 80 miles on surface streets and highways at night to its destination – a high-volume distribution center in the Phoenix metro area. Along the journey, TuSimple's Autonomous Driving System (ADS) navigated surface streets, traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, emergency lane vehicles and highway lane changes in open traffic while interacting with other motorists.
TuSimple President and CEO Cheng Lu said the test reinforced what his company believes is its "unique position at the forefront of autonomous trucking, delivering advanced driving technology at commercial scale."
The one-hour and 20-minute drive is the first time a Class 8 autonomous truck has operated on open public roads without a human in the vehicle and without human intervention, according to TuSimple, and is part of an ongoing test program that will continue into 2022. The test was performed in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Transportation and law enforcement.
