Leading Carrier Selects Aurora to Scale Autonomous Fleet to 500 Trucks
An Aurora Driver-powered autonomous truck hauls a trailer down the highway. Source: Aurora
Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today announced a significant expansion of their strategic partnership with Hirschbach Motor Lines, including a plan for the carrier to own 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks.
The plan is reflected in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining a path to scale with the final commercial terms and timing to be set in binding agreements expected to close later this year. The final deal will enable the carrier to aggressively scale its national network with 500 million driverless miles, while establishing a multi-year revenue stream for Aurora valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
"The Aurora Driver will provide consistent 24/7 service to our customers, making it an important growth lever for our business,” said Richard Stocking, CEO of Hirschbach Motor Lines. “But autonomy isn't just a business move – it’s a quality-of-life investment for our people. The Aurora Driver will handle the lengthier, less desirable routes, providing our drivers with greater flexibility. It’s a win-win.”
”When early adopters see the benefits the Aurora Driver delivers for their business and their drivers, they don't just stay the course – they scale quickly,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora. “We’ve been lucky to have such a thoughtful and innovative partner since our early days and we look forward to growing with them. The industry is primed for this product, and our momentum toward meaningful commercial revenue is hitting a new gear.”
Preparing for unprecedented commercial scale
The leader in moving refrigerated freight expressed its plan in the non-binding MOU to purchase 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks with delivery beginning in 2027. The carrier will subscribe to Aurora’s Driver as a Service (DaaS) model, which delivers mutual value for customers and Aurora. Customers have control and ownership over assets in DaaS, allowing them to maximize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings while Aurora benefits from an expected high-margin and capital-efficient business.
Thoughtfully expanding its autonomous footprint
The 500 trucks will be deployed across Aurora’s network with a focus on high-volume routes between customer facilities in the Sun Belt and beyond. In fact, Aurora recently transitioned to driverless deliveries to Laredo, Texas to support one of Hirschbach’s key customers.
The carrier is also a key customer on Aurora’s 1000-mile route between Fort Worth and Phoenix, a critical link for the carrier’s coast-to-coast business. To date, the Aurora Driver has driven more than 800,000 miles while delivering over 2,000 loads for Hirschbach.
Hirschbach’s expansion strategy anchors on a hybrid network where autonomous trucks handle long-haul routes, allowing traditional drivers to focus on shorter hauls that get them home daily. The carrier’s million-mile drivers were instrumental in evaluating the performance of the Aurora Driver prior to the launch of driverless operations on Aurora’s inaugural Dallas-to-Houston route.
“We’re proud to deploy a hybrid network with our drivers and autonomous trucks as we move toward a safer, more efficient future for refrigerated freight,” added Stocking.
