Torc Robotics

Carrier relationships vital to deploying autonomous technologies

This fireside chat recap is from FreightWaves’ Enterprise Fleet Summit on Wednesday.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Autonomous truck technology’s impact on fleet growth. 

DETAILS: Andrew Culhane, chief strategy officer at Torc, chats with Thomas Wasson, FreightWaves enterprise trucking carrier expert, about how autonomous technology is changing the fleet landscape and about pilot programs with the nation’s largest truckload carriers. Torc is an independent subsidiary of Daimler.

KEY QUOTES FROM ANDREW...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carrier-relationships-vital-to-deploying-autonomous-technologies

Carnage grows among transportation startups

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In the world of electric vehicle and autonomous trucking startups, the picture of winners and losers...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/carnage-grows-among-transportation-startups

Landing and launching terminals for autonomous trucks getting closer

Driverless trucks likely will be in limited use on some U.S. interstates as soon as late 2024. How they will be maintained between trips is a growing focus for their software developers.

Aurora Innovation appears to be farthest along in preparing for inspections, fueling maintenance and automated landing and launch of autonomous Class 8 trucks. An unremarkable frontage road location in Palmer, Texas, south of Dallas is being transformed into a terminal capable of doing for autonomous trucks...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/landing-and-launching-terminals-for-autonomous-trucks-getting-closer

Truck Tech: Who’s on first edition

Autonomous trucking is a far weightier topic than baseball, the subject of the famous “Who’s on first?” Abbott and Costello comedy classic. Determining the positions of truck makers and autonomous software developers might be more watchable than even rule-shortened games in the new MLB season.

Abbott and Costello and their famous comedy bit “Who’s on First?” (Image: YouTube)

Who really drives autonomous truck development?

After three stories and more than 3,000 words on TuSimple this week here, he...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-tech-whos-on-first-edition

Volvo Group gathers startups for incubation

Not unlike startup accelerator company Y Combinator and venture capital firm 500 Global, the starting point for hundreds of young entrepreneurs, Sweden’s Volvo Group has its own version of finding and tapping tomorrow’s talent for trucking and its other businesses. 

It’s called CampX, a physical location where more than 50 startups have explored and accelerated new ideas under the watchful eye of the global truck maker. The latest addition is an incubator where early-stage startups can develop...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/volvo-group-gathers-startups-for-incubation

Twisting Torc Robotics toward autonomous commercialization

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When Michael Fleming decided in August to hand over the CEO role at Torc Robotics, it appeared...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/twisting-torc-robotics-toward-autonomous-commercialization

Microsoft reportedly planning Gatik investment

In a tough fundraising environment for technology startups, Microsoft is reportedly nearing an investment in middle-mile autonomous trucking company Gatik.

Privately held Gatik, the middle-mile developer of autonomous trucking software, last raised $85 million in a Series B round in August 2021. Gatik’s Class 3-6 driverless box trucks operate revenue-generating routes in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Ontario, Canada.

Partnership would follow Gatik’s business model

Microsoft would invest $10...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/microsoft-reportedly-planning-gatik-investment

Missteps and milestones mark 2022 in autonomous trucking

Docudrama script writers must be giddy at the “Succession”-esque tale unfolding at TuSimple Holdings. Just a year ago it leapfrogged the competition by demonstrating an 80-mile driverless truck pilot on a U.S. public highway. 

TuSimple repeated the technological feat, several times early in 2022. But then it gave way to repeated capriciousness that erased 95% of the company’s stock value. Could TuSimple be ripe for a takeover or sale to private equity? Consider:

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/missteps-and-milestones-mark-2022-in-autonomous-trucking

Commentary: $1B balance sheet could help limit TuSimple’s reputation damage

 “When winter comes, I’ll keep on moving. Tell me where my friends go.” — Oingo Boingo

The abandonment of TuSimple Holdings by investors, its manufacturing partner and a host of others suggests the one-time leader in autonomous trucking has hit bottom.

It probably has. But its billion-dollar balance sheet suggests it can recover from its wounds, several of which are self-inflicted.

For example, had co-founder Xiaodi Hou resisted the temptation to take over as CEO in March, many of the problems...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/commentary-1b-balance-sheet-could-help-limit-tusimples-reputation-damage

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