Autonomous driving company, Torc Robotics, backed by Daimler Truck achieves driver-out capability on closed course in Texas as it works toward a 2027 commercial launch.
Conducted at full operating speed of up to 65 mph, the product acceptance test underscores Torc's progress.
Joanna Buttler, Head of Autonomous Technology Group at Daimler Truck, says: “The autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia with redundant safety features is an industry-first and lays the foundation for autonomous driving. Achieving driver-out capability on closed course is an outstanding achievement of the Torc and Daimler Truck teams. It demonstrates the progress and integrated development toward making autonomous trucking at scale a reality.”
Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck and a pioneer in self-driving vehicle technology, recently announced that it has successfully completed advanced validation of their driverless trucks in a multi-lane closed course environment in Texas, USA.
Conducted at full operating speed of up to 65 mph (approx. 105 km/h), the product acceptance test underscores Torc's progress in autonomous driving capabilities and prepares the company to be able to scale and commercialize safe, robust autonomous trucking solutions by 2027. Unlike a demo, this milestone highlights Torc’s entry into scalable product release, with their applied artificial intelligence technology, system architecture, production-intent embedded hardware, and safety engineering converging to shape a product that prioritizes true software best practices and safer roadways for all.
This product validation milestone exemplifies Torc’s commitment to rigorous safety and maturity standards, marking a critical step from advanced engineering and development to full productization on a unified, embedded platform.
Joanna Buttler, Head of Autonomous Technology Group at Daimler Truck, says: “The autonomous-ready Freightliner Cascadia with redundant safety features is an industry-first and lays the foundation for autonomous driving. Achieving driver-out capability on closed course is an outstanding achievement of the Torc and Daimler Truck teams. It demonstrates the progress and integrated development toward making autonomous trucking at scale a reality.”
“This is a key moment in our mission to build a profitable, scalable business as the world’s leading autonomous solution,” commented Torc 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 prioritize safety, operations costs, ease of use and reliability.”
Achieving the ability to run a truck without a safety driver in the cab is a significant milestone in the commercialization of autonomous driving. So far, Daimler Truck and Torc have tested and developed autonomous driving with a safety driver and an operator on board. Their task is to constantly monitor the truck during all operations and be ready to take over from the autonomous driver at any time. Daimler Truck and Torc have proven that Torc’s autonomous driving software can safely navigate on highways, surface streets, ramps and turns at controlled intersections.
