Aurora Innovation, an autonomous trucking company, announced on July 30, 2025, that its driverless trucks will now operate along the Dallas-to-Houston route at night as well as during the day.

Why this matters: More hours on the road means customers could get their freight delivered faster. Aurora says using trucks at night "more than doubles truck utilization" and helps shorten delivery windows.

• Aurora started regular driverless deliveries on this route in May 2025.
• The company is using their FirstLight lidar technology, which lets autonomous trucks "see" in the dark and spot objects further ahead than a human could.
• Nighttime is a risky period for truck drivers—about 37% of large truck fatalities happen at night, partly due to tired drivers and low visibility, according to FMCSA data.

Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora, said, "Just three months after launch, we're running driverless operations day and night and we've expanded our terminal network to Phoenix."

The company believes this expansion brings them closer to making autonomous trucks profitable and more useful for their customers.