In response, FMCSA argued Giannoulias failed to make his case for why the waiver should be put on hold.
Federal law authorizes FMCSA to issue waivers, and the challenged waiver is not materially different from waivers FMCSA has issued previously.
In addition to Aurora, other autonomous carriers -- Kodiak Robotics, Waabi Logistics and Stack AV -- have signed onto the waiver, FMCSA noted.
FMCSA previously denied an exemption to Aurora that sought an industry-wide exemption to allow cab-mounted warning beacons because it was too broad.
Issuing sequential waivers is also not out of the ordinary for the agency, FMCSA said, highlighting two waivers issued during the COVID-19 pandemic that were issued seven times each.
Sep 23, 2026 · via overdriveonline.com
[DigitalToday reporter Choi Jae-won] U.S. autonomous driving company Aurora Innovation plans to increase its driverless heavy-truck fleet tenfold by the end of the year.
The idea is to improve shipping efficiency and secure profitability, but it must prove actual cost savings and safety.
On Sept. 22 (local time), CNBC reported Aurora is operating 20 driverless trucks and plans to expand to 200 by the end of this year.
Chris Urmson (크리스 엄슨), Aurora's chief executive officer, said, "Driverless trucks can save fuel, transport freight faster and ease a shortage of truck drivers."
Morgan Stanley said profitability for a fleet of driverless vehicles could be about 7.5 times higher than a fleet of human-driven vehicles.
Sep 22, 2026 · via digitaltoday.co.kr
Information from driverless trucks in the US is being shared with enforcement officers under a scheme launched in Texas and Louisiana.
Autonomous driving technology provider Kodiak AI has teamed up with PrePass so that enhanced inspections for the AVs can be integrated into established state roadside screening and enforcement systems.
This connects information from Kodiak’s autonomous trucks directly with Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA)-trained enforcement personnel.
Kodiak plans to launch driverless commercial vehicle operations on public highways by the end of 2026.
“Our collaboration with PrePass is an important milestone as we prepare to launch long-haul driverless operations.”
Sep 22, 2026 · via itsinternational.com
Aurora Innovation now runs 20 fully driverless semi trucks on Texas highways, with nobody behind the wheel, and it wants that number near 200 by the end of 2026.
Aurora is targeting a production rate of 20 new driverless trucks per week by the fourth quarter of 2026.
Those 20 trucks aren't a pilot anymore.
Aurora says its driverless fleet has logged more than 250,000 miles on Texas interstates since the Dallas-Houston lane went fully driverless in May 2025.
Waymo shelved its own trucking unit, Waymo Via, back in 2023, leaving the freight lane mostly to Aurora and Kodiak to prove out.
Sep 22, 2026 · via startupfortune.com
Tesla certified its autonomous driving technology and its Cybercabs/Robotaxis against all relevant safety standards.
Autonomous driving is already here, and it is widely employed in every state when we include Tesla’s FSD users.
Autonomous Pittsburgh Outside of Tesla’s autonomous driving lab, Pittsburgh has been the second-most important hub for autonomous driving technology of the last decade.
This is very bullish for the industry, and my prediction is that we’ll see updated safety standards in less than 12 months.
This will enable the roll-out of nationwide, unsupervised autonomous driving in the United States.
Sep 22, 2026 · via brownstoneresearch.com
Komatsu has commissioned its 1,000th autonomous ultra-class haul truck using the FrontRunner Autonomous Haulage System (AHS), signalling a mature, large-scale deployment of driverless haulage fleets across multiple mines.
FrontRunner integrates high-precision GPS, obstacle detection radar and LiDAR with central fleet management to control truck speed, dump-point approach and interaction with manned equipment on complex haul networks.
For mine planners and geotechnical teams, the scale of AHS adoption is pushing tighter road geometry tolerances, more consistent ramp grades and berm standards, and stricter separation of autonomous and conventional traffic.
The April 2026 milestone for Komatsu’s 1,000th autonomous ultra-class haul truck aligns with other recent coverage showing the company simultaneously investing in talent acquisition and training in the US, suggesting it expects AHS deployment to be constrained more by skilled labour than by hardware availability.
The Canada Nickel–Komatsu fleet decision at the Crawford nickel project, combined with the new parts distribution centre near Edmonton, signals that future FrontRunner AHS roll-outs in Canada are likely to benefit from shorter commissioning and support lead times than in regions where Komatsu lacks comparable infrastructure.
Sep 22, 2026 · via geomechanics.io
Aurora, the autonomous vehicle startup that's been burning through cash while perfecting self-driving trucks, just laid out its clearest path to profitability yet.
What makes Aurora's 2028 target noteworthy isn't just the timeline - it's the company's positioning relative to competitors.
Industry watchers note that Aurora's 2028 profitability target coincides with broader expectations for when autonomous vehicle technology will reach commercial viability.
For investors and industry observers, Aurora's 2028 timeline represents a concrete benchmark against which to measure the autonomous vehicle industry's progress.
Aurora's 2028 profitability target isn't just about one company's financial health - it's a litmus test for the entire autonomous vehicle industry's commercial viability.
Sep 22, 2026 · via techbuzz.ai
• Minneapolis wants to require a paid human ‘safety monitor’ in every driverless car, which Waymo calls a de facto ban.
September 2026 — In the race to put more robotaxis on America’s streets, autonomous vehicle expansion is outrunning the regulatory system built to govern it.
The drive to scale Waymo operates about 4,000 driverless vehicles across 15 test cities, up from 700 in early 2025.
U.S. News rates the 2026 Ford F-150 with BlueCruise as the top “almost self-driving” vehicle on the market today.
Waymo’s state and local public policy manager, Adam Lane, called the measure a “de facto ban on autonomous vehicles.”
Sep 22, 2026 · via capitalanalyticsassociates.com
Aurora was the first to share a Safety Case Framework for both autonomous trucks and passenger vehicles, and this approach has now been widely adopted within the industry.
Edge Case benchmarked Aurora's safety case against NHTSA's federal safety elements for automated driving, along with multiple industry standards and best practices, and confirmed it holds up: well-structured, aligned with best practices, and actively maintained.
A Federal Framework Taking Shape With autonomous trucks already hauling freight on public highways, Congress is building on existing industry standards to advance a national framework.
Aurora's own safety case has already undergone the Edge Case review, evaluated against existing federal guidance, ahead of any requirement to do so.
Aurora Driver 2 is on the road today, hauling freight without anyone behind the wheel.
Sep 21, 2026 · via ttnews.com
The company will also use Nvidia’s Blackwell infrastructure to train and test its autonomous-driving models.
The partnership comes days after Einride and Lidl deployed Germany’s first cab-less Level 4 autonomous truck.
Shares of Einride (ENRD) rose around 7% in pre-market trading after the freight operator announced a tie-up with Nvidia (NVDA) to expand its autonomous trucking operations.
Einride Targets 2,000 Vehicles By 2028 Einride currently operates hundreds of electric trucks across the U.S., Europe and the Middle East.
Retail Says Short ENRD Retail sentiment surrounding ENRD on Stocktwits remained in the ‘bullish’ zone over the past 24 hours, amid ‘high’ message volumes.
Sep 21, 2026 · via stocktwits.com
Notably, with China's rapid advancement in AI technology, companies, institutions and government agencies have seen intensified AI cooperation in a wide range of areas.
The compound covers 10,000 square meters and hosts more than 150 AI companies.
The trend in AI cooperation has also been noted by officials.
Zhang Lizhong, secretary general of the ASEAN-China Centre (ACC), an inter-governmental organization co-founded by ASEAN countries and China, told the Global Times that AI is an important part of cooperation between China and ASEAN countries and the CAEXPO has attached great importance to AI technology.
The cases include 31 practical AI cooperation projects between China and ASEAN, covering all 11 ASEAN member states and sectors such as infrastructure, intelligent manufacturing and smart logistics, said the report.
Sep 20, 2026 · via globaltimes.cn
That coordinator is the same person orchestrating forklift drivers, assigning yard spotters, dealing with truck drivers and replacing printer ink.
An Eye in the Sky Over the Yard With the driver journey deployed, the customer asked for a yard management system.
YardFlow built one and is now deploying it, extending the same standardization to yard spotters, jockeys and trailer inventory.
“You’re not going to be handing paperwork to an autonomous truck, right?
“You’ve got to deal with both human spotters and autonomous spotters probably for the next 15 years.
Sep 19, 2026 · via freightwaves.com
On September 14, 2026, an empty Waymo autonomous vehicle found itself in a tense, slow-motion standoff with an Austin Fire Department engine.
The resulting standoff leaves the emergency responders completely trapped behind the confused robotaxi.
A History of Blocking Sirens Waymo has been expanding rapidly across Texas, but the company’s relationship with Austin’s emergency responders has been incredibly rocky.
Amid the chaos, a Waymo vehicle stalled in the middle of the roadway, actively blocking an ambulance from reaching the scene.
Following the March incident, the Austin City Council requested a special public meeting with Waymo executives to address emergency traffic enforcement.
Sep 19, 2026 · via motorbiscuit.com
Dana is the first agentic platform for building, testing, deploying, and operating intelligent machines across industries, at scale.
We’re creating the digital infrastructure that powers physical AI, allowing machines to perceive, reason, and act in the real world.
Applied Intuition’s Tools for Vehicle Intelligence, Vehicle OS, and Self-Driving System form an end-to-end stack that makes anything that moves intelligent.
From sea to space, we create the most trustworthy, advanced digital infrastructure for physical AI.
We’re building next-generation physical AI and focusing on the two most challenging applications of it that will reshape society: end-to-end autonomous driving and robotics.
Sep 19, 2026 · via appliedintuition.com
A great starting point for your Caterpillar research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 1 important warning sign that could impact your investment decision.
Our free Caterpillar research report provides a comprehensive fundamental analysis summarized in a single visual - the Snowflake - making it easy to evaluate Caterpillar's overall financial health at a glance.
Check them out now: Find 33 companies with promising cash flow potential yet trading below their fair value.
Discover the 95 top robotics and automation stocks leading the charge in AI-driven automation and industrial transformation.
We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data.
Sep 19, 2026 · via finance.yahoo.com
An Illinois-based cargo van operator filed a petition with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals for a review of an exemption granted to autonomous truck developer Aurora Operations.
The waiver also covered requirements for the types and number of warning devices.
Giannoulias charged that FMCSA's July 9 wavier extension was out of order, issued without notice to the public.
The agency didn't respond to Overdrive queries, but the petition is under court review -- FMCSA must respond by Sept. 21.
The limited waiver already in place was set to expire July 9, and Aurora was requesting a full, five-year exemption.
Sep 18, 2026 · via overdriveonline.com
While Tesla is only just starting to sell its electric truck in Europe, Lidl has taken the plunge in Germany, deploying a fully autonomous vehicle for live road deliveries.
The electric truck developed by Swedish company Einride literally has no cab at all.
Lidl is using this futuristic truck in Edermünde, near Kassel, to shuttle goods from its distribution center to a nearby store.
A Solution to the Truck Driver Shortage—or the End of the Road?
According to the International Road Transport Union (IRU), about 502,000 truck driver positions were unfilled in Europe in 2025, a shortfall of 13%.
Sep 18, 2026 · via futura-sciences.com
Sean Jones sjones@timesdispatch.com Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 The business news you need Get the latest local business news delivered FREE to your inbox weekly.
* I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Sean Jones Business./Growth and Development Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily!
{{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account?
Sep 18, 2026 · via richmond.com
For enterprises across the industrial chain, autonomous mining trucks are moving from concept verification to performance realization.
With the maturity of technologies, the economic advantages of autonomous mining trucks are gradually emerging.
Tongli Co., Ltd. has shipped more than 3,000 autonomous mining trucks.
With the improvement of autonomous driving technology, after the autonomous mining truck industry enters the large-scale commercialization phase, industry insiders are also considering the core competitiveness of the sector.
The industry will enter the competition of "systematic capabilities" in the future, pushing the mining industry to truly enter the full-domain unmanned production phase.
Sep 18, 2026 · via eu.36kr.com
International Motors and PlusAI have settled on the computer their driverless trucks will run on.
HDT reported that early deployments will concentrate on corridors such as Interstate 10 through the Sun Belt, where weather, traffic and regulation are predictable.
Both systems run on Grote's 4SEE Digital Harness, which Fleet Owner said handles secure data transfer, lamp-specific light-out detection and over-the-air updates.
The hundreds of billions of miles Heck describes are what the other two will cost.
International has published no production start date in the material Fleet Owner cited.
Sep 18, 2026 · via marketscale.com