Aurora Innovation has signed a commercial agreement with McLane Company, a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, to launch fully driverless trucking operations on the Dallas-Houston corridor in Texas. The deal, announced on May 6, 2026, transitions what was previously a supervised pilot program into unsupervised commercial hauling, a distinction that matters enormously in the autonomous vehicle world.
The pilot phase wasn’t exactly a warm-up lap. Aurora logged over 280,000 autonomous miles and completed 1,400 loads for McLane, all with a 100% on-time delivery rate.
How the partnership actually works
The operational model is a hybrid approach that splits the work between machine and human. Aurora’s self-driving technology handles the long-haul interstate segments between Dallas and Houston, roughly 240 miles of highway driving. McLane’s own drivers then take over for last-mile deliveries, navigating the trickier urban streets and loading docks that still challenge autonomous systems.
McLane operates one of the largest distribution networks in the US, serving convenience stores, restaurants, and mass merchants.
Aurora’s growth targets and revenue outlook
Aurora isn’t treating this as a one-route curiosity. The company has laid out aggressive expansion plans, targeting additional routes across US Sun Belt distribution-center corridors by the end of 2026.
On the fleet side, Aurora aims to have over 200 driverless trucks in operation by year-end 2026.
The financial projections reflect that ambition. Aurora has guided for $14 to $16 million in revenue for 2026, with an annual run-rate potential reaching $80 million once operations hit full scale.
Looking further out, Aurora is preparing to launch a Driver-as-a-Service model in 2027. Rather than selling trucks or software licenses outright, DaaS would essentially let logistics companies pay per mile or per load for autonomous capability.
What this means for the autonomous trucking race
For investors in Aurora, which trades under the ticker AUR, the McLane deal offers commercial traction with a credible counterparty. The 100% on-time delivery rate across 1,400 loads is the kind of operational data that procurement teams at other major shippers will scrutinize when deciding whether to sign their own contracts.