TuSimple, a global autonomous driving technology company, has announced its partnership with Hegelmann Group, a major European transport and logistics provider, that operates a fleet of over 5,000 vehicles, including an initial reservation of purpose-built SAE Level 4 (L4) Autonomous International® Trucks for operation in North America. The trucks will be equipped with TuSimple’s advanced autonomous driving system and will be based on a world-class global vehicle platform developed by Navistar.
Hegelmann’s partnership with TuSimple signals the symbiotic path of both partners to offer innovative solutions that address the ongoing driver shortage while lowering greenhouse gas emissions and improving vehicle and environmental safety. Hegelmann’s reservation of factory-production units with TuSimple technology is a primary action in developing a new state-of-the-art logistics network in North America called the TuSimple Autonomous Freight Network (AFN). Early studies show that autonomous trucks in this type of network have the potential to reduce fuel consumption for middle mile transportation.
“TuSimple’s innovations will elevate our ability to compete and prosper in the North American market and are analogous to our stated objective to become a global logistics technology adopter,” said Andrew Jasinskas, Business Development Project Manager – Hegelmann USA. “Undoubtedly autonomous trucks with TuSimple technology are the future of transportation, and Hegelmann’s strategy is to likewise be a standard bearer for innovations that push safety and efficiency to the next era of logistics excellence.”
“We are pleased to add Hegelmann to our rapidly growing fleet partners who wish to adopt, integrate, and scale SAE L4 truck operation in the United States,” said Lee White, Vice President of Strategy. “Hegelmann chose TuSimple as their autonomous vehicle technology partner due to TuSimple’s leadership in the rapidly approaching full-commercialization of autonomous vehicles.”
TuSimple demonstrated its leadership with the industry’s first Driver Out (no human intervention or operator) runs in 2021 which the company plans to continue through 2022 as it prepares for full commercialization. TuSimple’s Driver Out pilot program is the product of a year and a half of work to co-develop a L4 autonomous Class 8 vehicle with Navistar to demonstrate the level of redundancy, reliability, consistency, and safety necessary to remove the driver from the truck.
By the end of 2023, TuSimple plans to carry paid freight operations in high-density freight lanes in the southern US. Driver-out runs have been critical in scaling autonomous trucking operations on the TuSimple Autonomous Freight Network.
