Torc Robotics, a leading provider of self-driving vehicle technology and a subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has announced a strategic collaboration with US transport company CR England.
The partnership aims to implement a pilot programme utilising CR England’s temperature-controlled loads and Torc’s fleet of Level 4 autonomous test trucks for long-haul applications. This collaboration marks Torc’s expansion into the refrigerated logistics sector. The insights gained from the pilot will provide valuable data to guide the development and commercialisation of autonomous trucks for long-haul operations, say the companies in a statement. Planning for the program will commence in mid-2023, followed by on-road testing.
“We are excited to partner with CR England to enhance long-haul trucking safety for one of the nation’s premier service providers and largest refrigerated carriers,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO of Torc Robotics. “The data obtained from the pilot will contribute to our safety and validation efforts and help us further refine the use cases for autonomous trucking.”
“CR England is excited to announce our partnership with Torc for pilot activities on level 4 autonomous test trucks,” said Chad England, CEO of CR England. ”We believe this innovation will eventually enable us to expand our network safely while providing high levels of service to our customers and enhancing the quality of existing driver jobs. By adding autonomous lanes to our network, we can broaden our customer offerings and create more structured jobs for drivers at both ends of autonomous runs. Torc’s close integration with Daimler Truck AG makes our two organisations a perfect fit for piloting this new technology.”
