Bot Auto, an autonomous trucking company, recently released its schedule to launch driver-out commercial freight operations in 2025. This milestone will initiate a full-scale pilot program with continuous autonomous trucking operations between Houston and San Antonio.
The planned driver-out program will run for a minimum of four months, hauling cargo for commercial shippers. This initiative represents the deployment phase of Bot Auto's development approach, where periods of deployment are followed by system upgrades based on operational learnings.
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"The most predictable breakthroughs are the ones no one predicts," Xiaodi Hou, founder and CEO of Bot Auto, said. "2025 is going to be a big year. Look at what's unfolding across our industry so far: Kodiak demonstrating driver-out capabilities in the Permian Basin, Aurora timing their Driver-Out pilot program, FERNRIDE making strides in Europe, and now Bot Auto setting our schedule. To casual observers, this might seem like another wave of hype, but such synchronized predictions across players isn't orchestrated. It's the most organic forecast of genuine breakthrough. The hardware is ready. The software is ready. And this new dawn will illuminate our industry in 2025. We, Bot Auto, are committed to being in the first row."
"Let me be clear—this driver-out program is not about showcasing technical capabilities. And, frankly, that was already demonstrated back in 2021," Hou continued. "What we're conducting is a real-world simulation. This is about answering two fundamental questions that no virtual environment can resolve for us: Will our customers actually use our product? Can we make money from it? These questions demand real trucks hauling real cargo on real roads."
