TuSimple completes first test of driverless semitruck in Arizona

Technology firm TuSimple this week completed testing of its driverless semitruck in Arizona.

The company said on Wednesday that the truck successfully drove an 80-mile route on public roads, according to The Associated Press.

The truck, which was led and flanked by vehicles prepared to step in if necessary, began its trip at a railyard in Tucson and traveled all the way to a Phoenix distribution center. TuSimple told the AP that the semi was able to navigate lane changes, off ramps and traffic signals without issue, “naturally interacting with other motorists.”

“This test reinforces what we believe is our unique position at the forefront of autonomous trucking, delivering advanced driving technology at commercial scale,” TuSimple CEO Cheng Lu said.

The company reportedly estimates that its virtual-driver truck can offset the nearly 40 percent of all trucking operational costs that drivers currently represent in the industry. It also reported that its driverless truck technology can save about 10 percent of fuel-related costs.

TuSimple currently has completed about 2 million miles of road testing and has 70 fully autonomous trucks globally, the AP reported.