300+ autonomous semi trucks planned to roll out in North Carolina by 2027

An autonomous semi truck partnership has plans to launch over 300 self driving tractor trailers in North Carolina by next year. 

The same company responsible for the autonomous semi trucks running freight routes in Texas and Oklahoma has plans to dispatch more than 300 of the self-driving rigs in North Carolina by 2027. 

According to Spectrum Local News, Volvo Autonomous Solutions in partnership with Aurora Innovations is already in the final phases before removing the safety driver entirely when it comes to the autonomous rigs running in the two other states. Now, the companies want to deploy more than 300 around their headquarters in Greensboro. 

The most up-to-date predictions estimate that the autonomous truck market will more than double by 2030, and safety standards for these driverless trucks were included in the Build America 250 Act. 

Despite the apparent success of the trucks in Texas and Oklahoma, industry leaders still worry about the safety and validity of these autonomous rigs. 

“Black ice is probably the hardest thing, even for a truck driver. It looks like water on the ground, but yet it’s frozen. So how can an autonomous vehicle pick up on black ice on a highway?” pointed out driving instructor John Payne. 

“This is a truck that is specifically built for autonomous, and not a truck where you bolt on or add on a secondary braking system and so on,” said Sasko Cuklev, a leader at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. 

“We have a driver shortage and with the increased demand, that gap might become even bigger, so we see it as a complement to what we have today… What we are focusing here is the long-haul stretches where you have to be out for several days, sleeping in the cab away from home,” he said. 

It is unclear exactly when the truck would hit North Carolina roads, and what routes they would be dispatched on.