Aurora Innovation and foodservice distributor McLane Company have transitioned their Dallas-to-Houston freight service to fully driverless commercial operation, according to a joint update this week. The move follows a supervised pilot in which the Aurora Driver logged more than 280,000 autonomous miles, completed 1,400 loads and recorded 100 percent on-time performance.
What changed
During the supervised phase, an Aurora operations specialist sat behind the wheel as the Aurora Driver controlled the truck. The new driverless commercial service removes that observer for the line-haul portion between McLane’s Texas distribution centers, with humans retained only for yard operations and the first and last mile.
Inside Aurora’s ramp
Aurora began hauling freight autonomously in Texas in 2023 and gradually expanded customers and lanes through 2024 and 2025. McLane — a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary — runs one of the largest private trucking fleets in the country, making the conversion a meaningful proof point for shippers evaluating autonomous middle-mile.
Industry context
Aurora’s announcement comes the same month that Kodiak AI launched international operations with West Fraser Timber in Alberta and that Tesla’s Texas robotaxi fleet was disclosed at just 42 vehicles versus Waymo’s 577. Long-haul autonomous trucking is one of the few autonomy categories with a clear unit economic story today.
What comes next
Aurora and McLane say they plan to expand the driverless service to additional lanes in the Southwest US during the second half of 2026, subject to safety case validation. The company also reaffirmed prior guidance to add 20+ trucks to commercial routes by year-end.
Reporting based on coverage from ACT News and Auto Connected Car News.