Self-driving truck developer Aurora launched its first driverless commercial freight operations in Texas on April 27, achieving a widely anticipated milestone in autonomous truck deployment. Aurora has since returned human observers to the driver’s seat in its self-driving trucks at the request of its manufacturing partner Paccar Inc., serving as a reminder of the development and integration work that still lies ahead for this technology. So what does this latest breakthrough really mean for the trucking industry?

In this episode, we’re joined by Robert Brown, vice president of business development at self-driving truck startup Bot Auto, to break down the state of autonomous trucking today — and where it’s headed. Whether you're a shipper, fleet operator, or simply curious about how autonomy could reshape supply chains, we explore Texas’s role as the incubation zone for this technology, the potential for a transportation-as-a-service model, and why the year 2027 is shaping up to be a turning point for wide-scale deployment. Tune in.