Aurora: on the road to autonomous trucks

Trucks transport almost every object, yet the industry has many pain points. Aurora’s CEO Chris Urmson talks solutions.

In the US alone, 80 per cent of freight is transported by trucks. Without them and their drivers, the world would literally grind to a halt. But trucking is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a dangerous and strenuous job, leading to significant driver shortages. Meanwhile, demand for the movement of goods is only increasing.

Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of autonomous trucking company Aurora, sits down with Scottish Mortgage manager Tom Slater to discuss how his company can solve the problem – by enabling trucks to drive themselves. Chris explains how installing autonomous software into trucks will make the industry safer and more efficient, and how the application of autonomous technology can transform transportation at large.

Chris started his journey at Carnegie Mellon, moved on to Google’s self-driving vehicle project Waymo, and then co-founded Aurora with brilliant minds from Uber and Tesla. Hear how he has built the company from the ground up, formed partnerships with some big names, and what’s next on the road to autonomous trucks.

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Presenter: Claire Shaw

Audio production agency: Listen

Producer: Shannon Delwiche 

Executive producer: Suzy Grant

Production manager: Niamh Kidd

Editorial lead: Malcolm Borthwick

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