There's a problem. We're running out of drivers to move all of it.
PlusAI's SuperDrive™, named a 2026 Fast Company World Changing Idea for making freight safer and more reliable on the highways Americans depend on.
Every split second, SuperDrive scans everything around the truck, picks the right move, and acts on it.
Fires laser pulses to map the shape, size, and distance of every object around the truck, in daylight or darkness.
High resolution cameras read lane markings, traffic signs, and signals so SuperDrive can see and interpret the road the same way a driver would.
Radio waves cut through rain, fog, and snow to track every vehicle's speed and distance with millisecond precision.
Lidar, radar, and camera sensors build a continuous, real-time 360° picture of what's happening around the vehicle.
AI models trained on millions of miles of highway driving process all incoming sensor data, predict what every object will do next, and select the safest route.
SuperDrive acts on it: turning the wheel, hitting the brakes at the right moment, moving into the next lane when there is room, or holding back until it is safe to go.
No. Autonomous trucks are built for long-haul trucking, the most exhausting and toughest of trucking jobs. Human drivers remain essential for local pickup and delivery and navigating complex urban environments, jobs which will allow drivers to sleep in their own beds every night. The industry is already short 80,000 drivers, and autonomous trucks are meant to help supplement the existing driver pool and fill that gap rather than replace the profession.
Safety is the entire point. Over 90% of truck accidents involve human error, caused by factors like fatigue, distraction, and speeding. SuperDrive never gets tired, never gets distracted, and always obeys the rules of the road. It has been trained on millions of miles of actual highway driving and built to be more consistent and precise than any human driver.
They already are. SuperDrive-equipped trucks are hauling real freight on commercial routes today. Broader rollout will happen in phases as regulations catch up, more manufacturers come online, and the technology proves itself in new conditions.
Autonomous trucks are operating on select freight routes today, with Texas serving as the center of early commercial activity in the US. PlusAI-powered trucks are already moving commercial freight in Texas through fleet trials with International and Ryder, including routes along the I-35 corridor. As the technology scales, autonomous trucking is expected to expand across other high-volume freight corridors. PlusAI is also working with leading global truck manufacturers, including TRATON GROUP brands International, Scania, and MAN, as well as IVECO and Hyundai Motor Company, to bring factory-built autonomous trucks to market globally.
It depends on the deployment. In some states, a safety driver is still required, but in many states like Texas, fully driverless commercial operations are already allowed. In cases where there's a safety driver, they are on board to monitor the system and can take over if needed, but many autonomous trucks can operate fully autonomously for the entire route.
The challenges are fundamentally different. Trucks are far heavier, take much longer to stop, and carry commercial freight under strict delivery schedules. PlusAI's SuperDrive is built specifically for commercial long-haul freight and works across trucks from any manufacturer, whether diesel, electric, or natural gas.
Autonomous trucks follow traffic laws to the letter: keeping safe following distances, signaling every lane change, and never tailgating or speeding. Because the system never gets tired, distracted, or impatient, it behaves the same way every time. For drivers sharing the highway, that means fewer surprises alongside some of the largest vehicles on the road.