Daimler Truck Targets Driverless Public-Road Runs by End of 2026, Commercial Freight in 2027

Daimler Truck (DTG.DE) aims to operate autonomous trucks on North American public roads without a safety driver before the end of 2026, CEO Karin Rådström said at the company's Media Night ahead of IAA Transportation 2026. First commercial freight operations are planned for 2027, with scaling from 2028. The company is vertically integrating the full autonomous stack: Daimler Truck North America builds the redundant chassis and vehicle platform, while subsidiary Torc Robotics develops the AI-driven perception, planning and driving software. Rådström said the setup "differentiates us from any other player in the industry." North America is the launch market because U.S. trucks travel more than twice the daily distance of European trucks and face a more severe driver shortage. Freightliner and Western Star held 37.8% of the North American Class 8 market through June, per the company's second-quarter investor presentation. Torc completed driver-out validation on a Texas closed course in November 2024 at speeds up to 65 mph.