Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation, Inc. recently announced it is launching a second driverless route in Texas from Fort Worth to El Paso.
This comes as the company surpasses 100,000 driverless miles on public roads, according to a statement from the Aurora.
The company also announced its plans for 2026.
“Six months out from launch, we’re achieving more industry-firsts, expanding quickly, and paving the way to deploy hundreds of trucks next year,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO at Aurora.
The launch of the 600-mile lane from Fort Worth to El Paso, just six months after the inaugural Dallas to Houston route, marks the fastest scaling to a second market in the U.S. self-driving industry, said Aurora's statement. It added that staffing challenges and the difficulty of completing the 10-hour haul in a single day make the route daunting for carriers, underscoring the Aurora Driver’s value in providing reliable, around-the-clock driverless operations.
Customers on the El Paso route include Hirschbach Motor Lines, Russell Transport and others, said Aurora.
Aurora also unveiled next-generation hardware, which it said is designed to reduce overall cost by half while boosting performance and durability. Key features include:
- Increased Reliability: Built to last for over a million miles.
- Extended Sensing Range: New generation of FirstLight Lidar detects objects 1,000 meters away—twice the distance of the current generation.
- All-Weather Operation: Enhanced sensor cleaning allows the Aurora Driver to operate reliably in harsher weather conditions.
ATA foundation's 2025 support detailed
The American Trucking Associations’ Trucking Cares Foundation announced that it donated nearly $100,000 for a wide variety of charitable causes in 2025, from supporting truck drivers and disaster relief to combatting human trafficking.
The foundation's donations include:
$10,000 for the American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) to support their leadership delivering humanitarian aid to areas affected by disasters.
- $15,000 for the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund to help truck drivers and families recover from injury or illness, as well as support the overall health and wellness of truck drivers. Some of the funding will be used to purchase cancer screening kits for drivers.
- $15,600 for Garrett High School to support a first-of-its-kind high school CDL program developed through the Center for Transportation Safety.
- $10,000 for At Ease USA to support confidential trauma treatment and therapeutic support for active military, veterans, and their loved ones, regardless of their ability to pay.
- $13,380 for the North Bangor (PA) Fire Co. to support the department’s purchase of a heavy lift airbag extrication kit to assist first responders with rescues.
- $25,000 for TAT (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking) to support the organization’s continued work raising up a mobile army of transportation professionals to assist law enforcement in the recognition and reporting of human trafficking in order to aid in the recovery of victims and the arrest of their perpetrators. This is the fifth year in a row TCF has contributed.
- $5,000 for West Kerr (TX) Education Foundation to help the organization meet the healing needs of their district’s teachers and counselors who were impacted by the catastrophic flood in Texas Hill Country. The contribution was made on behalf of H-E-B, the recipient of the John Lex Premier Achievement Award.
- $5,000 for the Monarch School to provide academic, social, emotional, and life skills to hundreds of unhoused youth. Monarch is located in San Diego, the host city of ATA’s Management Conference & Exhibition. TCF will be looking to partner with a similar school when MCE convenes in Charlotte in 2026.
Crowley adds to its support of Wreaths Across America
Jacksonville, Florida-based Crowley is expanding its support for Wreaths Across America in 2025, deepening its commitment to honoring U.S. service members through financial sponsorship and in-kind transportation and logistics services.
New this year, Crowley will provide ocean transportation, trucking and warehousing to deliver wreaths for veterans’ gravesites in cemeteries in St. Thomas and St. Croix of the U.S. Virgin Islands.
In addition, Crowley will deliver thousands of wreaths to 15 cemeteries, including Jacksonville as well as other sites in Florida, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico. The company will also sponsor wreaths for cemeteries in Alaska, Washington, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to pay tribute to veterans across the nation.
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