Logistics major Schneider National and self driving trucking developer Torc Robotics are working towards implementation of a pilot programme that will use Torc’s autonomous test fleet. Torc is also working with Daimler Truck on commercialising Level 4 autonomous trucks in the United States for long-haul uses.

As part of Schneider and Torc’s new agreement, Schneider will provide freight loads for Torc’s pilot operations and insights on truckload freight that will help guide the development and ongoing commercialisation of autonomous trucks for long-haul applications.

“Many of trucking’s best practices and breakthroughs stem from Schneider’s forward-thinking approach,” said Michael Fleming, Torc founder and CEO. “This relationship with Schneider is a significant step for the operational development of our product as we continue to work toward a seamless integration with the existing freight industry.”

“We see great potential for Torc’s autonomous technology to improve freight efficiencies while helping to lower cost,” said Rob Reich, Schneider executive vice president and chief administrative officer. “Schneider is looking forward to providing Torc with the industry and operational knowledge needed to maximise the potential of autonomous trucks.”

Torc recently announced the formation of its Torc Autonomous Advisory Council (TAAC), which includes key freight industry players such as Schneider. The latest agreement with Schneider will be multi-phased, launching from the initial scouting work that the companies have already completed. Through Torc’s Test/Discover/Iterate approach, initial evaluation has commenced to ensure Torc’s systems are achieving the necessary requirements for Schneider and its customers. The next steps include system integration and day-to-day commercial operation pilots throughout 2023 and beyond. The end goal of the effort is to hone the product trajectory into an industry-guided usable solution.

Torc has just marked the fourth year of its partnership with Daimler Truck, which focuses on the commercialisation of Level 4 autonomous trucks in the United States. Daimler Truck made a majority share investment in Torc in 2019, and the companies are working towards being the first in the industry to commercialise an autonomous truck at scale.

“Bringing a safe Level 4 autonomous truck to market is by no means a simple task. Over the past three years, we have benefited from the strong collaboration with Daimler Truck, bringing us significantly closer to our goal of developing a highly optimised self-driving truck that will meet the fleets’ needs for cost, safety, and performance. The teamwork shown has been outstanding so far and we’re entering our fourth year of partnership with a clear roadmap – focusing on one manufacturer and one initial use case in one geographic area,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc CEO. 

This year, Torc has launched two new facilities. The first one opened in January and is in Austin, Texas. It is a 21,000 square-foot engineering-focused product development centre. Torc chose Austin due to the city’s culture, commitment to innovation, and talent pool is driving technology development and product growth.

In April, Torc opened a 30,000 square-foot technology centre in Stuttgart, Germany. Torc Europe GmbH is designed to tap into the talent pool in one of Germany’s principal automotive development regions. The Stuttgart team supports the ongoing development of SAE Level 4 virtual driver for deployment in autonomous trucks in the U.S. The virtual driver is composed of the software and compute components that make up the autonomous driving system.

Since last year, Torc doubled its headcount to more than 600 and hired seven executives with experience in emerging technologies and transportation. The company also brought on board a new CEO, Dr. Peter Vaughan Schmidt. He was the former head of Daimler Truck’s Autonomous Technology Group. Torc’s founder and former CEO Michael Fleming will remain on the Torc board of directors.

In late March, the company announced the launch of the Torc Autonomous Advisory Council (TAAC) to gain insights from freight industry leaders and address requirements for integrating autonomous technology into the freight network. TAAC and Torc leaders meet quarterly throughout the year, in addition to independently collaborating on critical areas such as integrating autonomous trucks with current freight operations and regulatory challenges.