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[{“one”:{“id”:12656,”author”:”Jason McDaniel”,”source”:”FleetOwner”,”date”:”2025-05-20″,”image”:{“thumbnail”:”4c1a1413-7fcb-4e6e-9aff-952c4a75a9d9.jpg”,”original”:”ab2bbec0-51d5-4d1c-adec-6c4b39f7126a.jpg”,”optimized”:”d602830a-8077-4f2b-a92d-99452358e9c2.jpg”},”featured”:false,”title”:”Torc launches first autonomous trucking hub”},”two”:{“id”:12656,”author”:”Jason McDaniel”,”source”:”FleetOwner”,”date”:”2025-05-20″,”image”:{“thumbnail”:”4c1a1413-7fcb-4e6e-9aff-952c4a75a9d9.jpg”,”original”:”ab2bbec0-51d5-4d1c-adec-6c4b39f7126a.jpg”,”optimized”:”d602830a-8077-4f2b-a92d-99452358e9c2.jpg”},”details”:[{“language”:”English – US”,”languageCode”:”en-US”,”title”:”Torc launches first autonomous trucking hub”,”article”:”

CEO Peter Schmidt insists Torc Robotics is well ahead of its competition in the race to commercialize automated driving system technology for Class 8 trucks. The company intends to equip parent company Daimler Truck’s fifth-generation Freightliner Cascadia tractors with Level 4 ADS systems for sale in the U.S. market by 2027.<\/p>\n

“That may seem far away, but it really isn’t,” Schmidt told FleetOwner.<\/p>\n

The linchpin in that plan is Torc’s new autonomous trucking hub in Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development. Torc will test and validate autonomous vehicles, educate potential customers, and support self-driving trucks. Schmidt and several other executives convened here May 13 for a historic unveiling and tour of this “transformational” facility. “We’re not just opening one more facility, we’re opening a door to the future—the future of autonomous driving,” Schmidt said to the gathered crowd before cutting a ceremonial ribbon.<\/p>\n

The open house included insights into hub and fleet operations and autonomous vehicle safety, stops inside the facility’s customer-experience and mission-control centers, a tractor-trailer trade-show unit with a simulator that illustrates how autonomous trucks interpret inputs and make decisions, and, of course, a selfie station with a Torc-powered Cascadia.<\/p>\n

“This hub represents more than just logistics,” Torc CCO Andrew Culhane said. “This represents years of relentless planning, prioritization, feedback from industry experts, and tireless efforts from the Torc team here today, as well as across the U.S. At the end of the day, we truly believe this is the realization of our bold vision—in which we see autonomous trucks revolutionizing the freight industry, making it more efficient, more cost-effective, safer, and more reliable for our customers.”<\/p>\n

Autonomos hub 1.0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Torc, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, selected the 22,000-sq.-ft. office on 18 acres off Old Denton Road for its strategic proximity to Interstate 35, which passes through Austin and San Antonio before ending up in Port Laredo, the busiest international trade hub in the United States, with 18,000 commercial trucks crossing daily. Additionally, the location is close to several of the largest distribution centers in the country.<\/p>\n

“You need to be here if you want to haul freight,” Schmidt said.<\/p>\n

“This is the world capital of freight, it’s the end point of our corridor, from I-35 down to Laredo, and it’s just a wonderful place full of businesses, innovators, opportunities—and great partners.”<\/p>\n

The rapidly growing area is also centrally located, allowing Torc to eventually redirect autonomous trucks across the U.S. “This is not only strategic to I-35, but also to our Phase 1 network, with how we want to scale and grow,” said Mack Wintin, Torc director of operations.<\/p>\n

Torc began running trucks with test loads out of the facility in April and will soon start managing real loads for early adopters like Schneider and C.R. England, who partnered with Torc on previous pilots. Autonomous trucks will pull loaded trailers from Laredo to Torc’s drop-and-hook hub in Fort Worth, where “driver-in” daycabs will tote them to their final destinations. Ten Torc trailers filled the fenced yard when FleetOwner visited. Schmidt said they’re running a handful of Cascadias out of the facility now but soon will have a sizeable fleet.<\/p>\n

“This is Version 1.0 of an autonomous hub,” said Carlo Menconi, Torc program manager.<\/p>\n

“These trucks are very similar to manual trucks, but the differences are significant. Calibration, localization, inspection, how they impact hub productivity, and how we get data on and off them are all specific to autonomous trucks. So this is where we’re going to figure out what are those best practices, we’re going to document them, and then the efficiencies will be realized through their enhanced productivity and translated back to our customers.”<\/p>\n

Mission command<\/strong><\/p>\n

The location will continue to serve as an innovation and remote-assistance center after Daimler begins selling ADS-equipped trucks to customers in 2027. At that point, Torc’s in-vehicle fallback test drivers will transition to mission management or potentially join customer fleets. “We’d like to populate the larger trucking companies out there with folks who understand autonomous trucks and are able to drive them and help with system implementation in a mixed environment,” said John Marinaro, Torc vice president of fleet operations.<\/p>\n

Marinaro and Wintin manage deployment on closed courses—like Continental Tire’s Uvalde Proving Grounds and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s “Smart Roads”—and on public roadways, with help from Torc’s command-center personnel, who oversee the entire autonomous vehicle ecosystem, from pre-departure preparation to post-trip inspection and everything in between.<\/p>\n

Remote assistants provide only indirect support during the mission, Torc emphasized.<\/p>\n

“A remote assistant can log into the truck, monitor live camera views, and really understand what the truck is seeing and receiving on the road,” said Collin Robinson, Torc senior product manager. “They’ll have health status, location—a ton of information. And that’s going to help the remote assistant do two things: Support any human interactions with inspectors or law enforcement … and assist the truck in ambiguous or complex driving scenarios.”<\/p>\n

Fort Worth is now home to 1 million people, just one of 13 U.S. cities to ever cross the threshold, according to census figures released Thursday. Here’s everything you need to know about Cowtown’s new spot as the 11th largest city in the U.S.<\/em><\/p>\n

Fort Worth’s rise to a city where people are flocking didn’t happen quickly, easily or by accident. News from the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday that the city has surpassed 1 million residents is a testament to the visionaries who did decades of hard work. They planned in advance for affordable housing, annexing land with an eye to future growth. They collaborated to build a dominant regional airport and one in particular, Ross Perot Jr., created an entire boomtown with the development of Alliance Airport.<\/p>\n

Countless others thought ahead to needs such as a business-friendly climate, ample water supply and even investment in the arts. To accommodate the next million Fort Worthians, we’ll need similar vision and an embrace of risk. Rapid growth is straining the region and the city, but it’s not stopping anytime soon. Getting the most out of it requires a new commitment to education, public transport, business recruitment and quality-of-life concerns. It also demands a determination to spread opportunity around more. Growth has understandably been concentrated in certain areas, including Alliance and west Fort Worth. We can’t leave the rest of the city behind.<\/p>\n

A COMMITMENT TO BETTER SCHOOLS — IN FORT WORTH ISD AND BEYOND<\/p>\n

Fort Worth leaders have been talking more honestly about the state of our schools for nearly a year, spurred by Mayor Mattie Parker’s demand for a renewed focus on literacy in the Fort Worth district.<\/p>\n

Those long-languishing schools have been the focus. But student achievement is slipping in suburban districts, too. We can’t continue with the pattern where families cram their way into Northwest, Aledo, Keller or Eagle Mountain-Saginaw schools. Fort Worth ISD, Crowley, White Settlement and others around the city must step up so that more neighborhoods can benefit from growth.<\/p>\n

A promising workforce pipeline is a must for recruiting and retaining businesses, which will be the backbone of improvements in the tax base and the city’s overall economic fortune. Every district needs to make big leaps in reading, math and science. Leaders often talk about the unfortunate nature of the city’s property tax base, where residents bear a bigger burden than commercial interests. Changing that requires creating a climate that businesses find irresistible, and no company plants its flag in a place where it will have trouble finding qualified workers.<\/p>\n

PUBLIC TRANSIT PROJECTS THAT ENTICE RIDERSHIP<\/p>\n

On transportation, it’s hard to see a mature city adding a huge project like a vast rail network. But we can focus on smaller improvements that still move the needle, such as getting people around the Stockyards and downtown to ease the traffic and parking issues there. Leaders should also try to identify projects that will entice workers. It’s harder in the era of remote work and a decentralized workforce, but good transit options can drive people to change their habits.<\/p>\n

If we want people to keep coming but also want to stay, quality-of-life issues will be crucial. Across Texas, housing affordability is nearing a crisis. Some market issues are beyond the city’s capacity; state lawmakers, for instance, have to address the skyrocketing cost of insurance. But Fort Worth must encourage responsible, sustainable development that keeps pace with need.<\/p>\n

There must also be a balance with amenities that make life here more pleasant. The city has taken steps recently to preserve greenspace. National economic uncertainty may make for budget challenges in the next year or more, but maintaining and expanding parks and recreational facilities are important to making life here satisfying for more than just economic reasons.<\/p>\n

As luck would have it, Fort Worth can brag about the population milestone just as it welcomes visitors over the next few weeks for two signature events: the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial golf tournament and the Cliburn international piano competition. Fort Worth’s calling card for tourists has long been cowboys and culture. There’s no reason to let either slip. Our history provides an identity that Fort Worthians can take pride in, but having world-class art museums and performance venues ensures a diversity of attractions.<\/p>\n

If current trends continue, Fort Worth will pass Dallas in size — perhaps sooner than most realize. We’ve long known life was better here; let’s make sure, as the city grows ever bigger, that stays true.<\/p>\n

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