California Startup Targets Self-Driving Big Rigs

Otto, a San Francisco-based startup launched in January by former Google Inc. employees, aims to apply automated-driving technology to heavy-duty trucks.

The company says its array of sensor and software systems can be retrofitted into existing trucks to allow for automated braking, steering and throttle control during highway driving. Otto has equipped three Volvo VNL 780 big-rig trucks with the kit and completed its first extended test on public highways in Nevada last weekend.

Commercial trucks stand to benefit from driver-assist technologies even more than passenger cars and trucks because they are involved in a greater proportion of accidents and fatalities, due in part to driver fatigue, Otto notes. It adds that there is a growing shortage of experienced truck drivers in the U.S. and other countries. Automation also could help improve fuel efficiency and increase vehicle uptime.

Otto is looking for 1,000 trucker drivers to participate in an extended trial to test and fine-tune the technology. Volunteers would have the self-driving kits installed in their vehicles for free, but they would be responsible for taking control of the vehicle—and its overall safety—as necessary. No timetable for the program was provided.

Otto was co-founded by Anthony Levandowski, who has been working on autonomous vehicle technology for more than a decade. He developed a self-driving motorcycle in 2004 and was later part of Google’s autonomous vehicle group.

Other founding members include two more Google alumni, Lior Ron and Don Burnette, and robotics expert Claire Delaunay. They lead a team of 40 employees that includes veterans from Apple, Tesla Motors and other Silicon Valley firms—as well as more than a dozen former Googlers.

Several trucking companies and suppliers also are developing autonomous technologies for trucks. Despite the potential benefits, analyst caution that the technology has a long way to go before it’s embraced by legislators and the general public.