[DigitalToday reporter Choi Jae-won] U.S. autonomous driving company Aurora Innovation plans to increase its driverless heavy-truck fleet tenfold by the end of the year. The idea is to improve shipping efficiency and secure profitability, but it must prove actual cost savings and safety.

On Sept. 22 (local time), CNBC reported Aurora is operating 20 driverless trucks and plans to expand to 200 by the end of this year. The vehicles haul freight on routes including Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas and Interstate 20 between Fort Worth and El Paso in Texas. They use laser sensors, radar and cameras to detect surrounding vehicles and road conditions.

Aurora cites operating time and cost as strengths. Chris Urmson (크리스 엄슨), Aurora's chief executive officer, said, "Driverless trucks can save fuel, transport freight faster and ease a shortage of truck drivers." He said they have the potential to operate up to 20 hours a day because they are not constrained by human rest time.

Brokerages also estimated the economics. Morgan Stanley said profitability for a fleet of driverless vehicles could be about 7.5 times higher than a fleet of human-driven vehicles. Bank of America estimated Aurora's service cost at about $0.85 per mile and driver wages and benefits at about $1.30 per mile. It added the estimates use different cost ranges and the actual savings are not confirmed.

Views in the field are mixed. Sean Wu (션 우), chief executive officer of uShip, said, "Drivers are responsible not only for driving but also for customer service, protecting the cargo and on-site judgment," raising doubts about full replacement.

Safety is also a key issue. Aurora said it drove about 440,000 miles without a driver through the end of June. During a ride-along shipment with a media outlet, the truck stopped for less than 1 minute to reset hazard lights for an unknown cause.

Aurora, which posted losses of more than $800 million in 2025, aims to achieve positive free cash flow in 2028 by expanding its fleet.