Daimler Truck has delivered the latest version of its Freightliner Cascadia truck to Torc Robotics for autonomous driving tests in Texas.
This new model is described as ‘autonomous-ready’ and will be used to prepare for the commercial launch of self-driving freight vehicles in the United States.
Alongside existing test routes in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, the trucks are being tested on a new route between Laredo and Dallas in Texas, a key freight corridor linking major cities such as San Antonio and Austin.
Joanna Buttler, Head of Autonomous Technology Group at Daimler Truck said:Delivering the latest iteration of our autonomous-ready vehicle platform, including production-intent autonomy hardware to Torc marks a significant milestone for Daimler Truck towards series maturity and scaling.
The vehicle platform is based on the fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia. It includes several built-in safety features designed for autonomous driving. These include backup systems for key functions such as braking, steering, power supply, and internal communications. These systems will enable the vehicle to meet SAE Level 4 standards, where the truck can drive itself without human input under certain conditions.
More than 1,500 technical requirements have been built into the truck to help support safe autonomous operations. Daimler Truck says it is the first company in the industry to build such a platform that is scalable and works independently of the powertrain. This means the system can work with electric, diesel, or other types of engines.
Torc Robotics is currently using the trucks during the product validation phase. This step aims to demonstrate that the technology is effective in real-world conditions before it becomes available for commercial use.
Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO of Torc, said:Our strong collaboration with Daimler Truck represents six years of success in advancing the future of freight. Fully integrating Torc’s autonomous driver with Daimler Truck’s Freightliner Cascadia platform creates an industry-first, scalable, physical-AI autonomous trucking solution. This will unlock tremendous value for our customers by addressing key industry pain points and presents a clear opportunity to generate revenue and drive meaningful transformation across the industry.
Torc recently completed successful driverless tests on a test track in Texas. The next stage will be testing on public roads, also without a safety driver. Daimler Truck and Torc then aim to launch their autonomous truck system in the US in 2027.
These trucks will operate between logistics centres and handle all driving tasks without human input on specific routes.
