FedEx has partnered with Aurora and PACCAR to deliver delivery using self-driving trucks for the first time

According to foreign media reports, FedEx, PACCAR and Aurora announced a "first-of-its-kind collaboration" program to deliver a truly autonomous semi-trailer truck in Texas. The first commercial pilot will ship FedEx shipments along the I-45 corridor between Dallas and Houston "on a regular and autonomous basis." The 500-mile round trip will include a safety driver (in case something goes wrong) and will kick-start Aurora's latest phase of development: "refinement and piloting."

The five phases of Aurora's driver development program are: laying the groundwork, defining and establishing, refining and piloting, validating, launching and expanding. During the refinement and pilot phases, the company's outline describes "pulling real loads in a commercially representative way" to gain feedback from customers and gain real-world experience. At this stage, Aurora aims to see the full picture of the customer and their preferences, "even if they are related to specific characteristics of involuntaryness."

Aurora announced Thursday that the first trips will have a safety driver — but not for long. "By the end of 2023," they suggested, they would actually launch their trucking business, "to towing goods autonomously between terminals without a safety driver." "

The PACCAR Autonomous Vehicle Platform (AVP) and Aurora are creating what they call "deeply integrated autonomous trucks" to propel their entire business into real-world road operations.

Above, you'll also see an Aurora Driver Hyperlapse video, "On the Road in Texas." This demo shows how the Aurora Driver system navigates in a variety of road conditions, including highways, intersections, surface streets, lane changes, and avoiding disabled vehicles.