Aurora Innovation and McLane Company announced Wednesday that they have moved from supervised pilot runs to fully driverless commercial hauls on Texas highways. The move follows a three-year pilot that logged over 280,000 autonomous miles and delivered 1,400 loads with 100 percent on-time performance.
It also positions one of the nation’s largest private fleets to reshape how perishable food reaches America’s chain restaurants.
“The business of moving food is essential to our economy and our way of life. With a 134-year legacy, McLane is deeply woven into the American distribution industry,” said Ossa Fisher, president of Aurora. “We’re excited to enter the next chapter with McLane and transform the American food supply chain with autonomous trucks. Our collective momentum in logistics is palpable.”
The agreement enables McLane, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary serving convenience stores, mass merchants, and chain restaurants, to begin driverless hauls between Dallas and Houston using the Aurora Driver.
Pilot Performance Proves the Model
The companies launched their supervised autonomy pilot in 2023. Since then, the Aurora Driver consistently met McLane’s rigorous scheduling demands. The pilot then expanded operations to two round-trips daily between Dallas and Houston, seven days a week.
That track record opened the door for driverless approval on the Dallas-Houston corridor, with Aurora planning to expand to new routes between McLane distribution centers across the U.S. Sun Belt by the end of 2026.
“We’ve been thoroughly impressed with Aurora’s technology, exceptional safety performance and commitment to operational excellence,” said Susan Adzick, president of McLane Restaurant. “Autonomous technology helps us drive greater efficiency across the supply chain, while our drivers remain focused on the critical last mile—and continuing to serve as the face of our company to customers.”
Hybrid Model Keeps Human Drivers on the Front Line
The operational workflow divides labor between the virtual and human driver. Aurora’s self-driving system handles the long-haul “middle mile” between distribution centers. McLane’s human drivers manage local deliveries directly to customer locations. That hybrid structure will remain in place as the partnership scales.
This addresses multiple pain points: autonomous trucks moving refrigerated hauls 24/7 offer scalable, reliable capacity that flexes with demand. The consistent and predictable middle-mile routes keep freight flowing smoothly without pulling drivers away from customer-facing work.
Network Expansion Reaches Oklahoma City
Separately, Aurora and Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) announced earlier this week the launch of a new 200-mile autonomous route between Dallas and Oklahoma City. The expansion marks the first time V.A.S. is hauling freight directly to customer facilities in Oklahoma City. The route uses the Volvo VNL Autonomous integrated with the Aurora Driver.
The program currently runs five days a week in supervised autonomy. By operating directly to endpoints, V.A.S. reduces the need for drayage moves and handoffs that add complexity to logistics flows.
“Expanding our operations into Oklahoma City and adding customer endpoints is an important step for scaling autonomous transport,” said Sasko Cuklev, head of on-road solutions at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “Running end-to-end requires a higher level of operational precision and integration, and it further demonstrates how autonomous trucks can operate reliably in real logistics environments. Together with Aurora we are focused on expanding our network and accelerating the adoption of this new and exciting technology.”
Aurora mapped the Dallas-to-Oklahoma City interstate route and began autonomous hauls within weeks. The speed highlights the system’s ability to scale into new markets quickly.
“Leveraging our technology to open new routes quickly and efficiently is a core part of our strategy,” Fisher said. “Aurora and Volvo are firing on all cylinders and our ability to execute together at scale is clear. As Volvo’s most advanced autonomy partner, we are proud to be the first to deploy the Volvo VNL Autonomous across multiple states.”
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