Two more carriers are putting driverless heavy-duty trucks on the busy Interstate 35 shipping route from Dallas to Laredo. Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation has signed agreements with Buckeye, Arizona-based Value Truck and Brampton, Ontario-based Charger Logistics to deploy its second-generation driverless truck. The two companies plan to use the Aurora Driver to move freight more efficiently, bolstering their operations in the Southwest. In addition to Dallas-Laredo, Value Truck will also use the technology between Fort Worth and Phoenix. Aurora says Laredo is the busiest land port in the Western Hemisphere, handling roughly 40% of all freight moving between the U.S. and Mexico. Nearshoring efforts across supply chains are driving volume even higher. “Freight volume on routes like Dallas-Laredo is growing faster than available capacity, and that gap is exactly what the Aurora Driver is built to close,” said Zac Andreoni, vice president of business development at Aurora, in a statement. North Texas becomes a hub for driverless trucks Aurora officially launched its first commercial-ready terminal for autonomous trucks in Palmer in April 2023. At the time, its trucking service pulled freight between Dallas and Houston for pilot customers including FedEx, Schneider and Uber Freight. The company started its first driverless Class 8 commercial trucking delivery between Dallas and Houston in April 2025. CEO Chris Urmson sat in the back of the driverless cab for the first trip. (At present, all of its trucks have a human in the backseat of the cab, but the company is working toward trucks that operate without any human presence.) Aurora says it is on track to end the year with 200 driverless trucks in operation. Aurora added nighttime runs between the two cities in July 2025 and has continued to grow its regional operations. Its second route, between Fort Worth and El Paso, opened in