Daimler subsidiary Torc Robotics began earlier this year advanced validation of its autonomous trucks without a driver in a multi-lane closed-course environment.

Conducted at full operating speed of up to 65 mph to optimise fuel efficiency, Torc’s driverless product acceptance test positions the company to scale and commercialise safe, robust autonomous trucking solutions by 2027.

“Artificial intelligence has undoubtedly been the biggest buzzword of the year, but real-world uses are few and far between. Autonomous trucking is one of the most concrete applications for AI that can drive demonstrated revenue, business value and industry transformation – and Torc is at the forefront of creating an autonomous solution with safety, scalability and cost efficiency top of mind,” said Torc’s Chief Technology Officer, CJ King. “With our long-standing tenure in the autonomous space, this milestone reinforces Torc’s safety-focused commitment to driving the future of freight.”

“This is a key moment in our mission to build a profitable, scalable business as the world’s leading autonomous solution,” said CEO Peter Vaughan Schmidt. “We observed impressive reliability in our repeated driverless runs, which leveraged Torc’s unparalleled embedded and integrated platform on Daimler Truck’s Freightliner Cascadia. We look forward to unlocking the full value of autonomous driving software for customers who prioritise safety, operations costs, ease of use and reliability.”

Torc operates test facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and engineering offices in Austin, Texas; Stuttgart, Germany; and Montreal, Canada. The company is headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia and is an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG.