Driverless Trucks Hit US Highways by 2027

Volvo Autonomous Solutions is preparing for a significant shift in U.S. trucking, announcing plans to remove safety drivers from its autonomous trucks and commence fully driverless operations on highways in the first quarter of 2027. This ambitious timeline was detailed during Volvo Group's recent Capital Markets Day. The company's projections indicate a fleet of over 300 autonomous trucks operating by the end of 2027, with industrial scaling to commence in 2028. Revenue from this autonomous business is anticipated to reach approximately $3 billion within five years.

Currently, Volvo Autonomous Solutions operates commercially in Texas with safety drivers, transporting freight daily across various routes, including an expanded point-to-point delivery service into customer facilities in Oklahoma City. This new service eliminates the need for separate first- and last-mile drayage operations. The core economic advantage of driverless operations lies in doubling asset utilization, as trucks can operate continuously without the constraints of human hours-of-service regulations. To ensure this high availability, Volvo is establishing an uptime network with its dealers along operating lanes.