• TuSimple, an autonomous truck manufacturer, has partnered with railroad company Union Pacific Railroad to haul freight between Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona. Operations will be conducted fully autonomously (without a safety driver), and with this, Union Pacific becomes TuSimple’s first customer to start fully autonomous hauling.

• The companies intend to begin operations this spring (March–June).

<ul><li>TuSimple also revealed its plans to finetune its fully autonomous technology and to start commercial operations in areas such as Texas Triangle by 2023. The company began driverless test runs on the same route in Arizona last December . So far, it has completed seven fully-autonomous test runs in total, translating into 550+ cumulative miles.</ul>

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: TuSimple is not the only company to have commenced fully autonomous truck pilots in the US. In November, Gatik launched fully autonomous trucking operations in Arkansas, marking a first in the US. Other peer companies Aurora Innovation and Embark Trucks are also progressing with their plans to begin driverless operations by 2023.</ul>