TuSimple said its self-driving trucks are running daily fully-autonomous commercial routes from depot to depot , including both highways and local streets . Photo courtesy of TuSimple .

The company is making three to five fully-autonomous trips per day for customers on three different routes in Arizona , it said in a Jan . 7 announcement . An additional route from Arizona to Texas was expected to begin operations in early 2019 . TuSimple ’ s self-driving trucks are running daily fully-autonomous commercial routes from depot-to-depot , which requires both highway and local street driving , it said .

At CES 2019 , Jan . 8-11 in Las Vegas , TuSimple displayed a Navistar International LT semi-truck , highlighting the company ’ s self-driving perception system and showcasing what TuSimple trucks “ see ” while driving autonomously .

TuSimple also announced it is working with suppliers including Cummins Inc . Cummins and TuSimple will work to enable powertrain integration with autonomous technologies . Cummins was instrumental in developing the industry standard interface between powertrains and autonomous systems . Cummins is bringing its nearly 100 years of technological experience with engines , components and controls to partners like TuSimple and other technology companies to ensure seamless and safe integration in the efforts to bring autonomous vehicles to commercial markets .

“ We are pleased to work with TuSimple and other companies across the globe to help bring autonomous vehicle technology to commercial markets ,” said Morgan Andreae , executive director , growth office at Cummins Inc . “ Cummins is a global powertrain leader with expertise in not only engines , but also controls and electronics and we are bringing this technical knowledge to develop a sophisticated interface that can allow powertrains and vehicles to integrate and operate efficiently , effectively and safely .”

“ Exactly one year after debuting our prototype system at CES 2018 , we ’ re now running up to five commercial trips a day in Arizona , expanding our fleet and moving quickly toward our goal of creating the first commercial self-driving truck ,” said Dr . Xiaodi Hou , founder , president and chief technology officer at TuSimple . “ We are making tremendous progress towards the commercialization of our technology and trucking ecosystem with key Tier 1 partners like Cummins .”

With the company ’ s camera-centric perception solution , TuSimple ’ s trucks have a vision range of 1,000 meters , or nearly 1,100 yards , the company says .

TuSimple ’ s self-driving trucks can see 360 degrees around for a pixel-level interpretation of the visible environment , enabling the vehicle to have three-centimeter control precision always , the company said .

The trucking industry is currently facing a shortage of drivers , which is expected to increase . According to a PwC study , autonomous trucking technologies will reduce annual operating costs for a traditional average long-haul truck by 28 % in 2025 . TuSimple is aiming to transform the U . S . trucking industry by cutting costs , reducing carbon emissions and eradicating some of the challenges currently faced by operators .

TuSimple was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in San Diego .

The company ’ s mission is to increase safety , decrease transportation costs , and reduce carbon emissions . For more information visit www . tusimple . ai . l FON

42 FEBRUARY 2019 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com