Trucking news and briefs for Monday, Aug. 4, 2025:
Autonomous truck developer Aurora begins nighttime hauls, opens new terminal
Aurora Innovation, a developer of autonomous trucking technology, this week announced a significant expansion of its commercial operations, including surpassing 20,000 driverless miles at the end of June, recently growing its driverless fleet to three trucks, beginning driverless commercial operations at night, and opening a new Phoenix terminal.
Aurora has been operating “driverless” autonomous hauls between Dallas and Houston, though with a human operator in the front seat, and is now expanding operations on that lane to include nighttime driving. The company said this “more than doubles truck utilization potential, significantly shortening delivery times on long-haul routes and creating a path to profitability for autonomous trucking.”
Powered by Aurora’s proprietary, long-range FirstLight Lidar, Aurora said its autonomous Aurora Driver can detect objects in the dark more than 450 meters away, identifying pedestrians, vehicles, and debris up to 11 seconds sooner than a human driver.
[Related: Song for automated truck drivers]
Aurora’s new terminal in Phoenix opened in June. The company said Fort Worth to Phoenix is nearly half the distance of the busy Atlanta to Los Angeles freight corridor, taking more than 15 hours to complete. Self-driving trucks can halve transit times, the company noted, especially on long routes that exceed the 11-hour driving limit for human drivers. Aurora is currently making autonomous hauls on this lane for Hirschbach and Werner.
“Efficiency, uptime, and reliability are important for our customers, and Aurora is showing we can deliver,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora. “Just three months after launch, we’re running driverless operations day and night, and we’ve expanded our terminal network to Phoenix. Our rapid progress is beginning to unlock the full value of self-driving trucks for our customers, which has the potential to transform the trillion-dollar trucking industry.”
Aurora has also launched Aurora Driver Live, a publicly available livestream of its self-driving truck operations.
[Related: Aurora puts operator back in 'driverless' operations]
Indiana enacts law allowing state DOT to seek tolling waiver
The state of Indiana has given its Department of Transportation the authority to request a federal waiver that would allow it to add toll lanes to interstate highways.
The measure was included in a transportation funding bill that passed the state’s legislature and was signed into law on May 1.
According to reporting from the Indiana Capital Chronicle, Indiana lawmakers in 2017 gave the state’s governor the power to add tolls to roads and bridges in the state, but action was never taken by former Gov. Eric Holcomb.
This year’s legislation updates the language around adding tolls in the state and gives the Indiana DOT the authority, with the governor’s approval, to request a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to toll lanes of interstate highways. If a waiver were granted, the Indiana legislature would not have to pass approving legislation.
According to a fiscal note accompanying the bill, a previous tolling study estimated Indiana could receive approximately $38.2 bill in revenue between over the 22-year period of 2029 to 2050.
Under federal code, there is a general prohibition on imposing tolls on federal-aid highways, but there are certain exceptions through special FHWA programs. Those programs allow tolling to generate revenue to support highway construction activities and/or enable the use of road pricing for congestion management.
Ryder crowns Top Tech
The 2025 Ryder Top Tech winner Kyle Walton holding his $50,000 check alongside Vice President of Maintenance Operations Bryce Kinsley; Chairman & CEO Robert Sanchez; President of Fleet Management Solutions Tom Havens; and Senior Vice President & Chief of Operations Bill Dawson.Ryder
Ryder (CCJ Top 250, No. 8) has named Kyle Walton of Bristol, Penn., its 2025 Top Technician and awarded him a $50,000 grand prize during the company’s annual skills competition.
The 24th annual Ryder Top Technician Skills Competition was hosted at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Ten finalists competed head-to-head in a full day of hands-on skills challenges simulating real-world diagnostic scenarios in commercial truck maintenance. Finalists were selected after outperforming their peers through written exams and a series of demanding regional competitions.
The 2025 competition featured 10 timed stations covering advanced diagnostics in aftertreatment systems, multiplexing, electrical systems, electronic engines, preventive maintenance, and more. Each station was developed in collaboration with Ryder's OEM and supplier partners to reflect the ever-evolving landscape of commercial vehicle technology.
Ryder Top Tech finalists Jean-Sébastien Houle of Ryder’s Boucherville, Quebec shop and Oscar Perez of Ryder’s Pomona, Calif., location, placed second and third, respectively. After the competition, finalists were recognized at an awards ceremony, where each received a $10,000 cash prize.
Jim Hawk Truck Trailers expanding into Texas
Jim Hawk Truck Trailers is expanding into Fort Worth Sept. 1.
Based in Council Bluffs, Iowa, Jim Hawk Truck Trailers has grown to multiple location across the Midwest, offering over-the-road trailers, spotter trucks, parts, rentals and service. The company also operates Hawk Equipment, a division specializing in construction and agriculture trailers, integrated across its branch network.
"Texas is an essential transportation hub, and we’re excited to serve customers there with the same service-first culture that’s defined us for more than five decades," said David Hawk, CEO of Hawk Investments, the parent company of Jim Hawk Truck Trailers.
