Author: Maya Rios

Autonomous trucking company Gatik said on Tuesday it has become the first company in North America to operate fully driverless trucks at commercial scale, marking a shift from pilot projects to sustained, revenue-generating freight operations. The Mountain View, California-based firm said its medium-duty trucks are now operating without a human driver or safety observer, completing daily deliveries for Fortune 50 retailers across Texas, Arkansas and Arizona. The vehicles are equipped with the company’s proprietary Gatik Driver autonomous system. See also: Gatik, Loblaw to Deploy 50 Autonomous Trucks in Greater Toronto Area “Autonomous trucking is no longer a promise. It’s a…

TRATON GROUP has agreed to commit up to $25 million in non-dilutive research and development funding to autonomous driving company PlusAI, expanding a partnership aimed at accelerating the commercialization of factory-built autonomous trucks in the United States and Europe. The expanded collaboration builds on a 2024 agreement under which PlusAI’s SuperDrive system was selected as the on-highway autonomous driving platform for TRATON brands including Scania, MAN and International. TRATON said the additional funding will support deeper integration of SuperDrive across its truck platforms, safety validation and commercialization programmes in key freight markets. See also: PlusAI Partners With Japan’s T2 to…

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has opened an investigation into Waymo after the company’s robotaxis were recorded illegally passing stopped school buses in multiple incidents across at least two states. The safety board said on Friday it is focusing on more than 20 incidents in Austin, Texas, where automated vehicles failed to stop while students were boarding or exiting school buses. Investigators will travel to Austin to collect information, with a preliminary report expected within 30 days and a final report to follow in 12 to 24 months. See also: Waymo Opens Public Robotaxi Service in Miami With 60-Square-Mile…

U.S.-based autonomous drone delivery company Zipline said on Wednesday it will launch operations in Houston and Phoenix early this year, marking the next phase of its U.S. expansion following a $600 million funding round that values the company at $7.6 billion. The company said the new capital will support expansion into at least four U.S. states in 2026. Investors participating in the round included Fidelity Management & Research Company, Baillie Gifford, Valor Equity Partners and Tiger Global, alongside existing backers. Founded in 2014, Zipline has developed an end-to-end drone logistics ecosystem, including proprietary aircraft, launch and landing infrastructure, and logistics…

Waymo has launched its fully autonomous ride-hailing service to the public in Miami, marking the company’s latest expansion as it scales commercial robotaxi operations in major U.S. cities. The service, which began on Jan. 22, covers an initial operating area of about 60 square miles spanning several of Miami’s most prominent neighborhoods, including the Design District, Wynwood, Brickell and Coral Gables. Waymo said nearly 10,000 residents have already joined the waitlist, with riders to be invited in phases as the fleet and service capacity expand. Waymo said it plans to extend coverage to Miami International Airport, although no timeline has…

John Krafcik, the former chief executive of Waymo, has intensified his criticism of Tesla’s self-driving strategy, arguing that the automaker’s reliance on cameras alone leaves its vehicles at a fundamental disadvantage compared with rivals that use multiple sensing technologies. Speaking in comments reported by Automotive News from the CES 2026 technology show, Krafcik said Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (FSD) system suffers from inherent limitations because it lacks redundancy from sensors such as LiDAR and radar. John Krafcik, a longtime figure in the autonomous driving industry, said Tesla’s hardware configuration constrains what its artificial intelligence can reliably perceive. See also: Waymo Renames…

Forterra has selected Aeva Technologies to supply 4D LiDAR sensors for its AutoDrive autonomous vehicle platform, expanding the use of advanced perception technology in military ground systems operating in contested and GPS-denied environments. Under the agreement, Aeva’s 4D LiDAR will be integrated into Forterra’s AutoDrive perception suite, which is designed to support autonomous operation of ground vehicles across missions such as tactical logistics, convoy operations, combat support and forward reconnaissance. The companies said the technology is intended to improve situational awareness while reducing exposure of personnel in hazardous environments. Aeva’s sensors provide simultaneous position and velocity detection at ranges of…

McLeod Software has completed an application programming interface (API) integration with Aurora Innovation, allowing carriers to book and manage autonomous truck capacity directly within McLeod’s Transportation Management System (TMS). The integration, delivered ahead of schedule, enables McLeod customers running version 21.1 or newer to tender autonomous loads powered by Aurora Driver without leaving their existing workflows. The companies said the accelerated timeline reflected growing customer interest in accessing driverless trucking capacity as part of day-to-day operations. The embedded functionality provides dispatchers with real-time vehicle location tracking and automated status updates from Aurora Driver-equipped trucks, giving carriers continuous visibility throughout pickup…

RoboSense said its robotics-focused business delivered a breakout performance in 2025, with LiDAR shipments for robot applications reaching 303,000 units, underscoring rapid market expansion and the company’s growing position in robot perception technologies. In a statement released on Jan. 13, RoboSense said shipments in the segment rose 1,141.8% year on year, allowing the company to retain its leading market position. The company attributed the growth to rising adoption of LiDAR across a broad range of robotic applications and increased deployment of its latest solid-state and safety-focused products. See also: RoboSense Secures Near One Million-Unit LiDAR Order From Dongfeng Nissan To…

STEER Tech and Germany-based KINEXON have formed a strategic partnership to integrate autonomous navigation software with real-time location systems, aiming to improve precision, safety and coordination for industrial autonomous vehicles. The collaboration combines STEER Tech’s autonomy stack and fleet management platform with KINEXON’s real-time location and sensor technologies. The integrated solution is designed for use in depots, warehouses, factories and logistics centres, supporting autonomous vehicles (AVs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). See also: Kubota Debuts Autonomous M5 Narrow Tractor for Vineyard and Orchard Use The companies said the combined system is already operational at several sites…

Embotech said it has received TÜV SÜD EC-Type Examination certification for its Autonomous Tractor Solution, allowing the deployment of driverless terminal tractors in gated industrial environments across Europe. The certification grants CE marking approval for production use and makes Embotech the first company globally to hold two independently certified autonomous driving systems at SAE Level 4, the company said. The approval applies to operations without a human driver in controlled environments such as ports, logistics hubs and industrial yards. See also: White House Signals Push to Accelerate Autonomous Vehicle Commercialisation The TÜV SÜD certification covers functional safety, electrical safety, electromagnetic…

AEye said it has entered a strategic partnership with South Korea-based Vueron to integrate Vueron’s real-time 3D perception software into AEye’s OPTIS ecosystem, expanding the platform’s capabilities across automotive and infrastructure markets. Under the agreement, Vueron’s perception software will be combined with AEye’s Apollo lidar hardware, enabling real-time detection, classification and analysis of objects in complex environments. AEye said the integration strengthens its full-stack 3D visual awareness offering for applications including advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous driving, intelligent transportation systems, mining, rail safety and perimeter security. See also: AEye Launches Stratos Lidar With 1.5-Km Range in Compact Form Factor…