Volvo and DHL now running two autonomous trucking routes through Texas
Operations are now active using Volvo’s purpose-built autonomous vehicles between Dallas and Houston and from Fort Worth to El Paso.
Volvo’s Autonomous Solutions division is running trucks for DHL along two routes through Texas using purpose-built tractor units that utilise the Aurora Driver autonomous set-up from Aurora, a self-driving company.
The operations began in December 2024 to validate the feasibility of larger autonomous freight operations.
The routes run between El Paso on the border with Mexico and Fort Worth, a journey of around 600 miles, and in Central Texas between Dallas and Houston.
Volvo said that thus far Aurora Driver has covered 1.5 million commercial miles on public roads.
DHL looks to autonomy for round-the-clock operations
"Autonomous trucks can … offer drivers new opportunities, such as remote monitoring and management of fleets, while also addressing ongoing labour challenges," said Jim Monkmeyer, President of Transportation for DHL Supply Chain North America.
He also noted that they see autonomous trucks as important in providing continuous operations. "Autonomy is a key enabler in advancing the digital transformation across the logistics sector by providing reliable long-haul capacity,” he noted. “Our long-standing partnership with Volvo has been instrumental in aligning their autonomous transport solutions with our 24/7 operational demands.”
Volvo’s autonomous ambition
The vehicles used are purpose-built Volvo VNL Autonomous trucks.
These can go up to what is known as Level Four autonomy under current regulations. At this level the vehicle is fully self-driving in most cases, but does still have a human driver present at all times, who can take over at any time.
The vehicles are fitted with a suite of systems, which feed data into a software system known as Aurora Driver.
Volvo said in a release that the complete system is comprised of “AI software, dual computers, proprietary lidar that can detect objects more than 400 meters away, high-resolution cameras, imaging radar, and additional sensors.”
Shahrukh Kazmi, Chief Product Officer at Volvo Autonomous Solutions explained that they “built the Volvo VNL Autonomous from the ground up, integrating these redundancy systems to ensure that every safety-critical component is intentionally duplicated, thereby significantly enhancing both safety and reliability.”
“This truck is the first of our standardised global autonomous technology platform, which will enable us to introduce additional models in the future, bringing autonomy to all Volvo Group truck brands, and to other geographies and use cases.” said Nils Jaeger, President of Volvo Autonomous Solutions.
The vehicle is being assembled in Dublin, Virginia.