Along with Kodiak Robotics, Aurora is well positioned as a potential leader in autonomous long-haul trucking. Gatik, a self-driving truck company that focuses on middle-mile routes, has expanded testing with partners like Kroger and increased its workforce this year.
Other companies such as Plus and Robotic Research are taking more distinct approaches within trucking, incorporating driver-assist systems and non-public-road capabilities into their offerings.
But others developing Level 4 automated systems for long-haul routes on public roads are stalling. Last week, Alphabet-owned Waymo announced it will step back from Waymo Via, its commercial autonomous trucking unit and “double down” on its ride-hailing business. That came after Waymo laid off 8 percent of its workforce in March, many of whom came from the company’s trucking division.
“They were basically shutting down trucking,” Guidehouse Insights principal analyst Sam Abuelsamid said.
The combination of Kodiak Robotics deal to equip 800 trucks with self-driving systems for freight broker Loadsmith and Aurora’s successful capital raise likely played a role in Waymo’s decision to step away from self-driving trucking, Abuelsamid said.
Waymo’s ramp-down on its autonomous trucking business follows TuSimple’s June 28 announcement that it will explore the possibility of selling its U.S. business.
In March, Embark Technologies shut down. Its $71 million merger with Applied Intuition of Mountain View, Calif. is set to be completed this month.
In late February, Pittsburgh’s Locomation shut down because the self-driving truck company reportedly could not raise additional investment capital.
