Aurora Innovation has expanded its long-running partnership with Iowa refrigerated carrier Hirschbach Motor Lines, signing a memorandum of understanding for Hirschbach to own 500 trucks powered by Aurora's virtual driver, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027.
500 Million Driverless Miles
The MoU outlines the path to autonomous scale, Aurora said, with final commercial terms and timing for a binding agreement targeted to close later this year. Once finalised, the deal would help Hirschbach build a nationwide network estimated to generate 500 million driverless miles — and a multi-year revenue stream valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars for Aurora.
Hirschbach will subscribe to Aurora's Driver as a Service (DaaS) model, in which the carrier owns the trucks while paying Aurora for the autonomy stack. 'Customers have control and ownership over assets in DaaS, allowing them to maximise total cost of ownership savings while Aurora benefits from an expected high-margin and capital-efficient business,' Aurora said in announcing the expansion.
From Fort Worth-Phoenix Lane To Hybrid Network
Hirschbach has been a feature customer on Aurora's 1,000-mile Fort Worth-to-Phoenix corridor, with Aurora completing more than 2,000 loads and over 800,000 miles for the carrier to date. The 500-truck expansion runs a hybrid network: autonomous Class 8s on long Sun Belt routes, human drivers on shorter regional lanes that get them home daily.
'When early adopters see the benefits the Aurora Driver delivers for their business and their drivers, they don't just stay the course — they scale quickly,' Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson said. Hirschbach CEO Richard Stocking added that 'the Aurora Driver will provide consistent 24/7 service to our customers, making it an important growth lever for our business — but autonomy isn't just a business move, it's a quality-of-life investment for our people.'
Pressure On Kodiak And Volvo Autonomous
The expansion lands while autonomous trucking competitors regroup. Kodiak AI has deployed 28 customer-owned trucks and is publicly traded, while Volvo Autonomous Solutions used its June 10 investor meeting to commit to 300+ self-driving rigs on US highways by 2027 and a $3 billion revenue target. Aurora finished Q1 2026 with over 12 million autonomous miles, and the Hirschbach deal cements one of the largest committed driverless fleets disclosed to date.
Reporting based on coverage from FreightWaves, Heavy Duty Trucking and Aurora press materials.