TuSimple trucks reach 10 million mile mark

Autonomous truck company TuSimple recently announced that the company’s trucks have reached the 10 million mile mark.

In a news release, TuSimple announced that its trucks have driven more than 10 million cumulative miles through testing, research and freight delivery. According to the company, TuSimple has recorded only one at-fault incident in its 10 million miles, which is below the average yearly accidents for a traditional truck fleet.

“This is an incredible achievement and one that we do not take lightly,” Cheng Lu, president and CEO of TuSimple, said in a statement. “It’s an opportunity for us to look back on everything we have achieved as a company and a reminder of what is still to come as TuSimple continues to innovate and reimagine the future of the autonomous commercial trucking industry.”

Other milestones recorded by the company since its creation in 2015:

• Becoming the first company to demonstrate an autonomous semitruck’s capabilities on surface streets and highways with its 1,000-meter perception breakthrough in 2018.
• Launching the Autonomous Freight Network in 2020
• Establishing itself as the first autonomous vehicle company to go public with an initial public offering in 2021
• Becoming the first company to successfully demonstrate the ability to fully remove the driver from its trucks and navigate 80 miles, traveling on surface streets and highways, naturally interacting with other motorists in December 2021
• Recording a “first” for Europe late last year when its technology-enabled commercial goods to be transported approximately 300 kilometers in regular traffic conditions using its autonomous driving system.

TuSimple in the news

The company’s 10 million mile milestone is good news after a year of bad news.

Last August, investors filed a lawsuit against TuSimple. The lawsuit stems from an incident involving a Level 4 truck that sent stock prices down by about 10%.

In a video obtained by Land Line, a TuSimple Level 4 truck is seen veering into a highway median, nearly striking nearby vehicles.

The incident was part of TuSimple’s testing of its Level 4 autonomous trucks. In the video, a test driver is seen reaching over to activate the truck’s autonomous functions. Immediately, the truck jerks to the left, striking a median.

Shortly after the lawsuit was filed, Jim Mullen, the former acting administrator and chief counsel for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, resigned from his position at TuSimple. Mullen was the chief legal and administrative officer at the company.

TuSimple announced earlier this month that FMCSA’s investigation into the April 2022 incident has been closed. Land Line is awaiting details of the investigation from the agency. LL