The plan is reflected in a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining a path to scale with the final commercial terms and timing to be set in binding agreements expected to close later this year. The final deal will enable the carrier to aggressively scale its national network with 500 million driverless miles, while establishing a multi-year revenue stream for Aurora valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
"The Aurora Driver will provide consistent 24/7 service to our customers, making it an important growth lever for our business,” said Richard Stocking, CEO of Hirschbach Motor Lines. “But autonomy isn't just a business move – it’s a quality-of-life investment for our people. The Aurora Driver will handle the lengthier, less desirable routes, providing our drivers with greater flexibility. It’s a win-win.”
”When early adopters see the benefits the Aurora Driver delivers for their business and their drivers, they don't just stay the course – they scale quickly,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora. “We’ve been lucky to have such a thoughtful and innovative partner since our early days and we look forward to growing with them. The industry is primed for this product, and our momentum toward meaningful commercial revenue is hitting a new gear.”
Preparing for unprecedented commercial scale
The leader in moving refrigerated freight expressed its plan in the non-binding MOU to purchase 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks with delivery beginning in 2027. The carrier will subscribe to Aurora’s Driver as a Service (DaaS) model, which delivers mutual value for customers and Aurora. Customers have control and ownership over assets in DaaS, allowing them to maximize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings while Aurora benefits from an expected high-margin and capital-efficient business.
Thoughtfully expanding its autonomous footprint
The 500 trucks will be deployed across Aurora’s network with a focus on high-volume routes between customer facilities in the Sun Belt and beyond. In fact, Aurora recently transitioned to driverless deliveries to Laredo, Texas to support one of Hirschbach’s key customers.
The carrier is also a key customer on Aurora’s 1000-mile route between Fort Worth and Phoenix, a critical link for the carrier’s coast-to-coast business. To date, the Aurora Driver has driven more than 800,000 miles while delivering over 2,000 loads for Hirschbach.
Hirschbach’s expansion strategy anchors on a hybrid network where autonomous trucks handle long-haul routes, allowing traditional drivers to focus on shorter hauls that get them home daily. The carrier’s million-mile drivers were instrumental in evaluating the performance of the Aurora Driver prior to the launch of driverless operations on Aurora’s inaugural Dallas-to-Houston route.
About Aurora
Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver as a service product for trucking. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including AUMOVIO, FedEx, Hirschbach, NVIDIA, PACCAR, Ryder, Schneider, Toyota, Uber, Uber Freight, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and Werner.
About Hirschbach Motor Lines, Inc.
Founded in 1935, Hirschbach Motor Lines, Inc. is an industry-leading truckload carrier delivering state-of-the-art transportation solutions for more than 90 years. Hirschbach, along with its recent acquisition of John Christner Trucking, LLC offers experienced, refrigerated truckload services to all 48 states along with dedicated transportation solutions and innovative brokerage, local, on-site and specialized services. With a fleet of 3000+ trucks, 5,500+ trailers, and multiple terminal locations, Hirschbach and John Christner Trucking continue to grow and expand into new service areas.
For more information, please visit www.hirschbach.com.
