Daimler Trucks, a division in the Daimler Group, and Torc Robotics, a pioneer in autonomous driving solutions, are joining forces to commercialise highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) on US roads. Going beyond an OEM/supplier relationship, the companies signed an agreement for Daimler AG‘s subsidiary Daimler Trucks and Buses Holding Inc., to acquire a majority stake in Torc Robotics for an undisclosed sum. Closing of the acquisition is subject to approval from US authorities.

“With the ever-rising demand for road transportation, not the least through e-commerce, there is a strong business case for self-driving trucks in the US market and I believe the fastest path to commercialisation for self-driving trucks is in partnership with Daimler Trucks, the OEM market leader,” said Michael Fleming, CEO of Torc.

“Bringing Torc Robotics within the Daimler Trucks family creates a unique and powerful team of innovators to put highly automated trucks on the road,” said Martin Daum, member of the board of management Daimler AG, responsible for Trucks and Buses. “Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics complement each other perfectly in terms of resources, expertise, and skill sets. We are forming the ideal combination between Torc‘s expertise on agile software development and our experience in delivering reliable and safe truck hardware.”

Roger Nielsen, CEO of Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), said Torc was one of the world‘s most experienced companies for vehicle automation.

“Torc takes a practical approach to commercialisation and offers advanced, road-ready technology, plus years of experience in heavy vehicles. Torc‘s Level 4 system has been shown to operate well for both urban and highway driving in rain, snow, fog, and sunshine,” he said.

As part of the overall agreements, the Torc team will work closely with Daimler Trucks‘ developers, particularly with the Research & Development team of DTNA in Portland, Oregon. Torc will continue to develop its Asimov self-driving software and testing at its Blacksburg facility. At the same time, DTNA will focus on further evolving automated driving technology and vehicle integration for heavy-duty trucks at its Automated Truck Research & Development Center in Portland. The DTNA team is working on a truck chassis perfectly suited for automated driving, particularly the redundancy of systems needed to provide the maximum level of reliability and safety.

Under the agreement, Torc will remain a separate entity retaining its name, team, existing customers, and facilities in Blacksburg. The partnership with Daimler Trucks will enable Torc to expand significantly its team, engage into the trucking market and service its growing customer base in other markets.