In light of Aurora Innovation’s decision to push out commercial driverless trucking until next spring, it’s worth revisiting how third-party validation is becoming a price of entry for autonomous technology. Much of the public still fears it and would-be users know little about it.
Gatik and Outrider look outside for building confidence
Middle-mile autonomous business-to-business logistics leader Gatik and distribution yard autonomy startup Outrider understand their word about safety may not be good enough to earn customer and public trust. AAA’s latest survey on autonomous vehicles found U.S. drivers express either fear (66%) or uncertainty (25%) about fully self-driving vehicles.
Gatik hired 150-year-old evaluator TÜV SÜD America and software provider Edge Case Research. They reviewed more than 700 safety elements on Isuzu trucks. Some run without safety drivers on short-route routes to and from distribution centers and retail stores.
The review covers TÜV SÜD’s six pillars of safety: safe testing, organizational safety culture, engineering quality – how the self-driving system functions, behaves and operates – cybersecurity, vehicle safety and how Gatik’s Safety Case conforms to the UL4600 standard for evaluating autonomous products.
Basically everything that has to do with safety in and around an autonomous vehicle.
Starting conversations about autonomy
“For customers who may be unsure of autonomous technology, having third-party data helps start those initial conversations around integrating the technology safely,” Adam Campbell, Gatik head of safety innovation, told me in an email.
“Ultimately, third-party endorsements help build trust, mitigate perceived risks, and position Gatik as a leader in delivering the safest and most effective autonomous trucking solutions.”
Gatik said it is premature to get into details. But it promises to publicly share TÜV SÜD and Edge Case Research’s findings.
Loblaw looks under Gatik’s hood
It’s not Gatik’s first time going through a safety review.
In 2022, Canadian grocer Loblaw – an early Gatik customer – conducted a three-month end-to-end assessment by third-party experts to understand the Mountain View, California-based startup’s safety and security system. They examined Gatik’s work across a landscape of security standards. Those included hurdles set by the Industrial Standards Organization, SAE and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Safety is not achieved by any one factor, but by the combination of best practices,” Apeksha Kumavat, Gatik co-founder and chief engineer.
Added Campbell: “Simply “better than a human” is not enough. Anything less than full transparency and rigorous safety standards is unacceptable. By adopting this comprehensive approach to safety standards, we believe other industry players will follow suit. [That] will propel the whole industry forward.”
Experts assess 200,000 potentially hazardous yard situations
Colorado-based Outrider operates robot-driven yard tractors in the close quarters of distribution yards. Efficiency requires moving and parking 53-foot trailers within inches of each other.
Some of the same safety evaluators were engaged.
Edge Case Research consulted and validated Outrider’s architectural approach to safety. FEV Group helped develop an assessment covering more than 200,000 potentially hazardous situations in the yard. TÜV SÜD assessed Outrider’s culture, approach and solutions against its AV Conformity Framework.
We are in a unique solution space that merges safety concerns from automotive and robotics standards with OSHA [Occupational Health and Safety Administration] standards and newly emerging guidance for autonomous vehicles,” Alec Likhite, Outrider head of safety, told me.
Like Gatik, Outrider gives its industrial customers a wide berth.
“Enterprise customers require third-party validation of safety cases for autonomous systems they evaluate for their operations,” Likhite said. “In addition to working with third parties, Outrider has worked closely with its Fortune 500 customers to validate its safety case for driverless commercial operations.”
Cummins CEO: Potential 8% share for natural gas trucks
With the support for electric vehicles uncertain in a second Trump administration, Cummins Inc. has a hedge with its15-liter natural gas engine.
CEO Jen Rumsey told analysts on Tuesday the company sees potential for an 8% market share for the new X15N big bore powertrain. That’s a couple percentage points lower than other company executives have predicted. But it is orders of magnitude higher than the current 1%-2% penetration for Cummins’ existing 12-liter natural gas engine.
“Some of North America’s largest and most demanding heavy-duty fleets are actively engaged with Cummins, following their own tests of the natural gas engine in the field,” Rumsey said. “We’re excited to have that product out now with Kenworth. Daimler will be launched in 2025.”
The biggest proof point to date: UPS has ordered 250 Kenworth X15N- powered trucks. It is part of decarbonizing its ground fleet.
The X15N went into full production in September at Cummins’ Jamestown, New York, engine plant.
Briefly noted …
Daimler Truck North America is expanding electric truck-powered inbound logistics in the Motor City at its Detroit technology operation.
Hyliion Holdings is moving its stock listing to a less expensive New York Stock Exchange alternative intended for emerging growth companies.
A district court in Augsburg, Germany, appointed a preliminary insolvency lawyer at startup zero-emission truck converter Quantron, which is seeking a path to stay in business.
Electric yard tractor manufacturer Orange EV is recalling nearly all the Class 8 tractors it has made because service manuals incorrectly say the emergency stop button in the vehicle cab will shut off and lock out the high-voltage system.
The first dozen Class 4-5 Rizon electric trucks have arrived in Canada, where the DTNA subsidiary will begin deliveries in January.
Accelera by Cummins set a Guinness World Record for the longest distance traveled by a hydrogen fuel cell electric heavy-duty truck without refueling.
Truck Tech Episode No. 90: Checking out driver-friendly technologies on the fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia
That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading and watching. Click here to subscribe and get Truck Tech delivered to your email on Fridays. And catch the latest episodes of the Truck Tech podcast and video shorts on the FreightWaves YouTube channel. Send your feedback on Truck Tech to Alan Adler at aadler@firecrown.com.