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PHOENIX - Driverless semi-trucks are officially hitting Arizona highways this month, as the autonomous technology company Aurora expands its operations to the desert.
What we know:
The company has launched driverless runs on a 1,000-mile route between Fort Worth and Phoenix. Aurora officials claim the technology will significantly cut transit times by nearly half because the trucks do not require the mandatory rest breaks human drivers must take.
The shift is meeting resistance from long-haul veterans. Tim Bickler, who has spent 13 years behind the wheel, expressed frustration with the move toward automation.
"I hate them," Bickler said. "They're putting good drivers out of business because all they care about is the profit the company makes. They don't care about the drivers whatsoever."
Bickler, who drives roughly 10.5 hours a day on trips from Texas to California, noted that human drivers are limited to 11-hour shifts by federal regulations. While those regulations are designed for safety, some business owners see them as a logistical hurdle.
The other side:
Eric Ramirez, owner of a car-hauling company, said he welcomes the potential for lower costs.
"As a company, as an owner, we have to accommodate [drivers] because they do need their 10 hours of sleep, so it kind of does hurt us," Ramirez said. "If they're automated, we wouldn't have to monitor that. We'd just have to make sure they get there safely."
Despite the company's claims that its "Aurora Driver" can navigate both highways and surface streets, some drivers remain skeptical of a computer's ability to handle complex routes.
"You can have it on the interstate, but you can't get to where we got to go most of the time," said driver John Dixon. "How are they gonna figure that out?"
Over 250,000 driverless miles since its Texas launch last year, Aurora reports a perfect safety record with zero crashes attributed to its autonomous system.
What's next:
The company plans to have more than 200 driverless trucks on the road by the end of 2026.