TuSimpe
SAN DIEGO — TuSimple, one of the companies aiming to develop self-driving trucks, has added Canadian National CEO JJ Ruest to its newly created executive advisory board.
The announcement, which the San Diego-based company made this week, comes after CN was among the investors in a $350 million round of funding for the trucking startup. CN last month declined to comment, but Union Pacific confirmed that it invested in TuSimple [see “With eye on intermodal, railroads invest in autonomous trucking company,” Trains News Wire, Dec. 10, 2020]
TuSimple said the executive advisory board will provide advice to the company to accelerate the adoption of autonomous long-haul trucking. Specifically, it is looking for expertise in regulation, technology, freight logistics, and leadership.
Besides Ruest, the board members include former U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Calif.); Eric Fuller, the chief executive of trucking company U.S. Xpress Enterprises; Steve Girsky, a former GM executive who is managing partner of VectoIQ, an advisory firm; former U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.); Derek Leathers, chief executive of trucking company Werner Express; and Mark Rourke, chief executive of trucking company Schneider National.
TuSimple is currently operating autonomous trucks on routes in the Southwest, but with what the company calls a “safety driver” who can step in if there’s a problem. A company engineer also rides along to monitor the self-driving system.
This spring TuSimple, which is carrying revenue loads for UPS and trucking companies, plans to develop a hub at Alliance, Texas, that will permit the launch of new self-driving service between the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Houston and San Antonio.
CN declined to comment.
If autonomous trucks are ever deployed on a large scale, by some estimates they would pose a threat to up to a third of current rail traffic by lowering the cost of trucking.
Analysts suspect that CN and UP are interested in learning more about autonomous trucking, perhaps as a step toward using autonomous hostler rigs within their intermodal terminals.
