Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary McLane is set to deploy self-driving trucking technology from Aurora Innovation on routes throughout Texas and the U.S. Sun Belt by the end of the year, enhancing an autonomous freight pilot program initiated in 2023. The move is part of a broader trend in the industry, as companies like McLane aim to automate the middle mile of logistics, which includes major routes from distribution centers to delivery points. McLane has already reported logging 280,000 autonomous miles on its existing pilot between Dallas and Houston, solidifying Texas as a key hub for autonomous freight due to its favorable regulations and high freight volume.
Paccar: PACCAR is a prominent manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial trucks under brands like Peterbilt and Kenworth. It maintains a strategic partnership with Aurora Innovation to integrate self-driving technology into its vehicles. PACCAR trucks are utilized in McLane’s current autonomous pilot, operating with human observers in the cab during driverless hauls.
Susan Adzick: Susan Adzick serves as President of McLane Restaurant, managing foodservice distribution to chain restaurants nationwide. She leads efforts to optimize supply chain operations through technology adoption. In the announcement, she highlighted how autonomous trucking enhances efficiency while allowing drivers to focus on last-mile customer interactions.
McLane Company: McLane Company is a leading supply chain services provider specializing in distribution to convenience stores, mass merchants, and chain restaurants across the U.S. Headquartered in Temple, Texas, it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. McLane is expanding its autonomous freight pilot with Aurora Innovation to include driverless operations on routes starting in Texas and broadening to the Sun Belt by year-end.
Aurora Innovation: Aurora Innovation develops the Aurora Driver, a self-driving system focused on freight-hauling trucks to boost road safety and supply chain efficiency. The company partners with truck OEMs and logistics providers for commercial deployments across multiple vehicle types. It is supplying driverless technology to McLane Company for middle-mile trucking, transitioning from supervised pilots to unsupervised hauls on Texas and Sun Belt routes.
Berkshire Hathaway: Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate holding company that owns diverse businesses including distribution services through subsidiaries like McLane Company. It acquired McLane from Walmart in 2003, integrating it into its portfolio of supply chain and logistics operations. Through McLane, Berkshire is enabling the deployment of Aurora Innovation’s self-driving trucking technology on U.S. Sun Belt routes.
Texas Deployment Hub: Texas attracts autonomous freight companies due to its pro-business regulations, high Sun Belt freight volume, and minimal severe weather challenges.
Aurora Route Milestones: Aurora recently launched an extended autonomous route from Fort Worth to Phoenix and a new freight corridor with Volvo between Dallas and Oklahoma City.
Middle-Mile Automation Trend: Distributors like Amazon are prioritizing middle-mile automation to streamline logistics between distribution centers and delivery points.