Hirschbach Orders 500 Autonomous Trucks from Aurora in Major Fleet Expansion

Key Details Aurora Innovation and Hirschbach Motor Lines expanded their partnership with plans for the Iowa-based refrigerated carrier to deploy 500 Aurora Driver-powered autonomous trucks. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2027, with a memorandum of understanding signed this week and binding agreements targeted for later this year. Why It Matters This deal represents a multi-hundred million dollar revenue stream for Aurora over multiple years and is expected to generate 500 million driverless miles across a nationwide network. Hirschbach currently operates 2,948 power units and will use Aurora's Driver as a Service model, where the carrier owns assets while Aurora supplies the autonomous technology. What Drivers Should Know Hirschbach CEO Richard Stocking emphasized this is more than a business decision - it improves driver quality of life. Autonomous trucks will handle longer, less desirable routes, allowing Hirschbach drivers to focus on shorter hauls and get home daily. The hybrid approach keeps human drivers central to operations while optimizing route efficiency. Momentum Building Aurora has already delivered over 2,000 loads for Hirschbach totaling 800,000 miles on the Fort Worth-Phoenix corridor. This expansion signals growing industry confidence in autonomous technology and demonstrates how early adopters are scaling partnerships quickly.