Here’s Where Driverless Trucks Could Operate First

Jay Ramey
·3 min read
20
a truck and a car driving on a highway
Here’s Where Driverless Trucks Could Happen FirstWaabi

  • Autonomous trucking developer Waabi opens cargo terminal specially designed for driverless trucks near Dallas.

  • The company's SAE Level 4 tech relies heavily on AI, paired with the usual sensor suite comprised of lidar, radar, and cameras.

  • Several autonomous tech developers are working in Texas to scale up commercial operations with driverless trucks from the prototype phase, while Waabi works with Uber Freight.

If driverless trucks really do go mainstream, there is one particular state where we think we're likely to see them first.

Waabi, a startup focused on generative AI for self-driving systems, has inaugurated an autonomous trucking terminal near Dallas that will support its development operations and serve as its headquarters. The terminal has been specially built with SAE Level 4 driverless trucks in mind, allowing the company to experiment and fine-tune processes for autonomous truck operations.

Waabi's approach to driverless SAE Level 4 trucking technology leans heavily on AI, promising an end-to-end trainable system that will learn from new data, coupled with the usual sensor package we've seen from Level 4 developers including lidar, radar, and cameras.

And the software itself, dubbed Waabi Driver, has been training in a simulated environment as well.

"Our AI-first approach is empowered by Waabi World, our highly scalable closed-loop simulation engine, built with the latest in Generative AI technologies," the company says. "Waabi World exposes the Waabi Driver to the vast diversity of scenarios needed to hone its driving skills, including both common situations and safety-critical edge cases."

The eventual goal is to install the hardware itself at a truck's assembly phase, performed by a given manufacturer.

a large building with a parking lot
Waabi’s driverless trucking terminal will allow the company to fine-tune operations with SAE Level 4 trucks.Waabi

The new trucking terminal in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster will add a practical component and includes a fueling station, maintenance shop, truck scales, and pre- and post-trip inspection areas. The terminal will effectively serve as the base for the company's autonomous prototypes. Besides Texas, Nevada has also been friendly to autonomous trucks.

"Texas is a critical location for us as it is the home to our first commercial operations and several important shipping corridors. By establishing our presence here, we are committed to creating more opportunities for autonomous trucking in the region," said Raquel Urtasun, Founder and CEO of Waabi.

Waabi isn't alone in trying to field commercial Level 4 systems for trucks in Texas, as Aurora Innovation has recently prepared a route for its own driverless trucks, stretching from Houston to Dallas, scheduled to open this year. Aurora's pilot project includes its own custom terminal for work with driverless trucks.

The issue of special terminals for driverless trucks is important for maximizing their time on the road, as Level 4 systems will permit much more flexible schedules compared to human drivers. Higher uptime is one of the main value propositions behind Level 4 trucks, and it also means the warehouse terminals have to take advantage of that uptime.

Both companies are already working with commercial partners—in Waabi's case it has teamed up with Uber Freight—using the latter's marketplace tech and logistics platform to perform runs with commercial loads between Dallas and Houston.

Will we see driverless trucks take off as a technology in this decade, or will it take far longer for them to become commonplace? Let us know what you think in the comments below.