Torc Robotics and Daimler Truck AG report milestones as they enter their fourth year of partnership

The two have worked hand-in-hand to be the first to commercialize a profitable autonomous truck solution at scale

Torc Robotics and Daimler Truck AG enter their fourth year of partnership, with a focus on customers, industry collaboration, and commercializing Level 4 autonomous trucks in the U.S. for long-haul applications. The powerhouse team continues to develop safe, sustained innovation in the freight industry as they combine Daimler Truck’s extensive experience in manufacturing and relationships in the freight industry with Torc’s experience in developing autonomous vehicle solutions.

Since Daimler Truck’s majority share investment in Torc in 2019, the two have worked hand-in-hand to be the first to commercialize a profitable autonomous truck solution at scale. Torc continues to operate as an independent subsidiary and serves as the lead for autonomous driving system development, innovation, and fleet testing.

“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 optimized 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. 

MILESTONES

Facilities and Team Growth

This year, Torc 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 center. Torc chose Austin due to the city’s unique culture, commitment to innovation, and talent pool is driving technology development and product growth.

In April, Torc opened a 30,000 square-foot technology center in Stuttgart, Germany. Torc Europe GmbH taps into the talent pool in one of Germany’s prime 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 wide 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.

Partnerships and Collaboration

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.

Torc and Schneider Announced Collaboration

Torc and Schneider recently announced that Schneider will serve as an operational partner for Torc’s autonomous test fleet. Schneider will provide freight loads for Torc’s pilot operations and unique insights on truckload freight that will help guide the development and ongoing commercialization of autonomous trucks for long-haul applications.

Capabilities and Technology

In preparation for a full hub-to-hub experience, Torc further developed its capabilities for highways, including complex merges and lane change maneuvers. In addition, other proficiencies include  autonomously detecting and reacting to traffic lights and navigating complex intersections.

From a technology perspective, Torc recently started running its vehicles with an updated sensor suite, computers, and additional integrations that further testing efficiency as the team scales its autonomous fleet.

Category: AUTONOMOUS, Connected Fleet News, Driver Stuff, Electric Vehicles, Engines & Drivetrains, Equipment, Featured, Fleet Tracking, General Update, Management, News, Products, Safety, Tech Talk, Transit News, Vehicles