Charger Logistics driverless trucks will begin running between Dallas and Laredo after the carrier signed an agreement with Aurora Innovation to use its second-generation autonomous vehicles. The lane is among the busiest on Charger’s network in the Sun Belt region. Charger operates truckload, dedicated, temperature-controlled and cross-border services across the United States and Mexico. Its freight includes refrigerated food and pharmaceuticals, which are among the more demanding categories to move without a driver on board. In a statement, Zac Andreoni, Vice President of Business Development at Aurora, said the new fleet lets the company “meet the substantial demand we’ve seen since we first launched last year”. Andy Khera, President of Charger Logistics, added that the deployment should “enhance capacity, improve asset utilisation, and strengthen service reliability”. The agreement is Aurora’s second customer announcement in two days, following a comparable deal with Value Truck on the same Dallas to Laredo corridor. Both carriers will run the second-generation trucks on that lane. Concentrating early deployments on one corridor builds route familiarity, although it also leaves commercial progress resting on a single lane. Neither company disclosed truck numbers, and Aurora’s filings warn that anticipated customer orders may be delayed or cut in scope. Source: Aurora