Driverless Truck Company Aurora Launches In Dallas -- May 2, 2025

Locator: 48571EVS.

Link here.

This is simply incredible.

This must drive railroad enthusiasts bonkers -- trains on a track, which could be run 1000% remotely, require two engineers. Why? To be there in case of a derailment. But I digress. Have there ever been any studies comparing derailment rates with five engineers vs two engineers vs zero engineers per train?

Back to driverless trucks. Again, this is a huge story. First company to deploy Class 8 -- the big semis you see everywhere -- self-driving trucks -- and where do they launch? In Texas. In Dallas to be specific. 

Where they could really use this technology? Road trains in Australia. Link here, from nine years ago.

As for the driverless trucks in Dallas, I can't think of a better state in which to launch driverless trucks. 

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I-35

Of all the interstate stretches in the US, the I-35 stretch, from Texas-Mexico border to the Oklahoma state line is the interstate stretch to watch. 

1. I-35: Laredo, TX (Mexico) to Duluth, Minnesota. Doesn't make the top ten list because so much of I-35 is in fly-over country, but in Texas, I-35 is THE interstate. Along with I-10. Which does make the top ten list among US interstates.

2. Texas I-35: 509 miles, in Texas, from Laredo to Oklahoma border.

3. "Texas Silicon Valley" -- I-35 --  Waco to the north, then Austin, then San Antonio. Easily compares with I-10; I-95, I-5.

4. DFW -- I-35 divides into I-35 EAST (Dallas) and I-35 WEST (Ft Worth).  Right now north Dallas is population center in geographic DFW; in 2050, it is projected that northwest Ft Worth will be geographic center -- where there is a yet another airport in the DFW area;  where Wabtex (formerly GE Transportation) manufactures BNSF locomotives; where Texas Motor Speedway is located (and where Sophia plays her weekend soccer game this weekend).

5. I-35 EAST goes straight north from Dallas  -- 75 miles -- to the largest casino in the US (the largest casino in the United States, based on gaming space, is WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma); also huge water recreation center there where our daughter goes to compete in paddle board competitions.

6. Amazon fulfillment centers in DFW area are incredibly -- size and number and more and more and more electric Amazon Prime vans.

7. Where will they get all the drivers? A lot will come from other states -- especially California.