Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on US roads

PITTSBURGH (AP) — On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board.

A quarter-mile ahead, the truck's sensors spotted a trash can blocking one lane and a tire in another. In less than a second, it signaled, moved into the unobstructed lane and rumbled past the obstacles.

The self-driving semi, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks.

Within three or four years, Aurora and its competitors expect to put thousands self-driving trucks on America's public freeways. The goal is for the trucks, which can run nearly around the clock without breaks, to speed the flow of goods, accelerating delivery times.

The image of a fully loaded, 80,000-pound driverless truck on a super-highway at 65 mph or more may strike a note of terror. A January poll by AAA found that a majority of American drivers — 66% — said they would fear riding in an autonomous vehicle.

But in less than nine months, trucks with Aurora's systems will start carrying loads between terminals for FedEx, Uber Freight, Werner and others. Aurora and most rivals plan to start running freight routes in Texas, where snow and ice are generally rare.

For years, it seemed as though the initial venture for autonomous vehicles would be ride hailing in large cities. But General Motors’ Cruise robotaxi unit is struggling in the aftermath of a serious crash. And Alphabet's Waymo faces opposition to expanding its autonomous ride service in California. So self-driving trucks are poised to become the first computer-controlled vehicles deployed in widespread numbers on public roads.

However, safety advocates warn that with almost no federal regulation, it will be mainly up to the companies to decide when the semis are safe enough to operate without humans on board.

Aurora and other companies argue that years of testing show their trucks will be safer than human-driven ones. They note that the vehicles' laser and radar sensors can “see” farther than human eyes. The trucks never tire, get distracted or become impaired by alcohol or drugs.

“We want to be out there with thousands or tens of thousands of trucks on the road,” said Chris Urmson, Aurora's CEO. "And to do that, we have to be safe. It’s the only way that the public will accept it. Frankly, it’s the only way our customers will accept it.”

Phil Koopman, a Carnegie Mellon University professor who studies vehicle automation, agreed that self-driving trucks can theoretically be safer. But he cautioned that the vehicles' computers inevitably will make errors. And just how the trucks fare on real roads, he said, depends on the quality of their safety engineering.

With billions of dollars in investments at stake, Koopman said, he wonders how the companies will balance safety decisions.

“Everything I see indicates they’re trying to do the right thing," he said. "But the devil is in the details.”

On the test track, reporters saw Aurora's semis avoid simulations of road obstacles, including pedestrians, a blown tire, even a horse. The trucks spotted obstacles more than a quarter-mile away and avoided them.

But they were running at only 35 mph (56 kilometers per hour) in a controlled environment. (The trucks are being tested with human safety drivers on Texas freeways, at higher speeds.)

Since 2021, Aurora trucks have autonomously hauled freight over 1 million miles on public highways with human safety drivers on board. There have been only three crashes, Urmson said, all caused by mistakes by human drivers in other vehicles.

A federal database that started in June 2021 shows at least 13 crashes with other vehicles involving autonomous semis, including three involving Aurora. In all cases, the crashes were caused by other vehicles.

Last month, Urmson said the publicly held company expects to turn a profit by late 2027 or early 2028. To do so, Aurora must deploy thousands of trucks, hauling freight and collecting a per-mile charge from customers.

Aurora, Urmson said, won't compromise safety, even if doing so might delay turning a profit.

“If we put a vehicle on the road that isn’t sufficiently safe — that we aren’t confident in the safety of — then it kills everything else,” he said.

The company's competitors — Plus.ai, Gatik, Kodiak Robotics and others — also plan soon to put driverless trucks on the roads hauling freight for customers. Gatik expects it this year or next; the others haven't set timetables.

Don Burnette, CEO of Kodiak, said freeways are a better environment for autonomous vehicles than cities where ride-hailing robotaxis have been running. There are fewer pedestrians, and fewer unexpected things happen.

At a Buc-ee's mega convenience store along I-45 south of Dallas, the prospect of driverless semis struck a note of fear.

“It sounds like a disaster waiting to happen," said Kent Franz, a high school basketball coach in Chandler, Oklahoma. "I’ve heard of the driverless cars — Tesla, what have you — and the accidents they’ve been having. Eighteen-wheelers? Something that heavy, relying on technology that has proven it can be faulty? Doesn’t sound very comfortable to me.”

No federal regulations specifically cover autonomous vehicles, Koopman of Carnegie Mellon noted. And most states have none. As a result, he said, the public must trust the companies.

Federal agencies lack authority to stop autonomous vehicles from going on the roads. If something goes wrong, though, they can require recalls or order trucks out of service.

The companies say they can help address a truck driver shortage, estimated by the trucking industry to be 64,000 drivers. Yet there also are worries that autonomous trucks eventually will supplant human drivers and cost them their livelihoods.

Aurora's Urmson said he thinks driverless semis will complement the work already done by human drivers.

“If you're driving a truck today," he said, “my expectation is you're going to be able to retire driving a truck.”

AP Business Writer David Koenig contributed to this report from Dallas and AP Data Journalist Aaron Kessler from Washington.

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A self-driving tractor trailer is displayed at a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A self-driving tractor trailer is displayed at a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck, outfitted with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors, is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

The interior of the cab of a self driving truck is shown as the truck maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on US roads

A self-driving tractor trailer maneuvers around a test track in Pittsburgh, Thursday, March 14, 2024. The truck is owned by Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation Inc. Late this year, Aurora plans to start hauling freight on Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas with 20 driverless trucks. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on US roads

ROME (AP) — Unlike most Americans who can’t find their footing on clay when they come to Europe, Tommy Paul feels right at home on the red dirt.

That’s because he grew up playing on the surface in Greenville, North Carolina.

“That was all I played on, even before going to play hard-court tournaments. The green clay, not the good stuff,” Paul said. “I’m comfortable on it. I’m really enjoying my time on it right now.”

Is he ever.

Paul beat ninth-ranked Hubert Hurkacz 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the Italian Open semifinals and follow up his straight-set victory over defending champion Daniil Medvedev two days earlier.

It's the best result on red clay of his career. At least at the senior level.

As a junior, Paul won the French Open boys' title in 2015.

In the semifinals on Friday, the 16th-ranked Paul will face Nicolas Jarry, who rallied past Monte Carlo Masters champion Stefanos Tsitsipas 3-6, 7-5, 6-4.

The other semifinal will feature 2017 Rome champion Alexander Zverev against Alejandro Tabilo, who eliminated top-ranked Novak Djokovic in the third round.

Two Chileans — Jarry and Tabilo — will appear in the semifinals of a Masters 1000 event for the first time since the introduction of the format in 1990.

In the women’s semifinals, top-ranked Iga Swiatek extended her winning streak to 11 matches with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over U.S. Open champion Coco Gauff. Swiatek, who is attempting to complete the “dirt double” by winning the Madrid Open and Italian Open back-to-back, will face second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the final.

Sabalenka beat Danielle Collins 7-5, 6-2 to hand the retiring American only her second loss since early March.

It's a rematch of the Madrid final.

“I’m happy to be playing so consistently because it means that we’re doing everything well,” Swiatek said. “So really proud of myself and of the team as well.”

Paul got in extra training on clay this season because of an ankle injury that cut short his hard-court season in March.

“My whole team has kind of tried to get me to not play early in the clay court season, to have a longer training block,” he said. “This year I was kind of forced to do it.”

Paul's two coaches both have clay-court pedigrees. Brad Stine guided Jim Courier to two French Open titles and Hugo Armando's best surface as a player was clay.

“(Armando) is the one who works with me a bunch on the dirt before starting the season,” Paul said. “Brad came down also to Boca. We worked on moving back a little bit, taking a step back, letting points kind of develop and settle.”

Paul broke the big-serving Hurkacz seven times but also dropped his own serve six times.

“My game plan coming in was, I got to get in as many of his service games as possible and try and get a couple of breaks. So on that aspect, I did very, very well today,” Paul said. “But my next match, I’m probably going to focus on holding serve a little bit more.”

Before beating Medvedev, Paul had never defeated a top-20 player on clay. Now he’s defeated two top-10 players back-to-back for the first time in his career — on any surface.

Paul is attempting to become the first American man to reach the Rome final since Andre Agassi won the trophy in 2002. Together with Gauff and Collins, there were three American semifinalists.

Rome is the last big warmup tournament before the French Open starts in 10 days and Paul has never been past the second round at Roland Garros — at the senior level.

Paul was better on the longer rallies than Hurkacz and twice came back from a break down in the deciding set.

Hurkacz eliminated record 10-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal in the second round.

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Danielle Collins of the United States serves the ball to Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka during a semi final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Belarus' Aryna Sabalenka returns the ball to Danielle Collins of the United States during a semi final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas serves the ball to Chile's Nicolas Jarry during a semi final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Chile's Nicolas Jarry celebrates after winning a point to Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas during a quarte final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Poland's Iga Swiatek in action during her match against Coco Gauff of the United States at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Coco Gauff of the United States serves during her match against Poland's Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Coco Gauff of the United States in action during her match against Poland's Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Poland's Iga Swiatek in action during her match against Coco Gauff of the United States at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A spectator scans with his smartphone Coco Gauff of the United States in action during her match against Poland's Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open tennis tournament at Rome's Foro Italico, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Tommy Paul of the United States' returns the ball to Poland's Hubert Hurkazc at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Poland's Hubert Hurkazc serves the ball to Tommy Paul of the United States' at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Tommy Paul of the returns the ball to United States' Poland's Hubert Hurkazc at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Poland's Hubert Hurkazc returns the ball to Tommy Paul of the United States' at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Thursday, May 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)