With over 18 years of experience, King’s leadership will help propel Torc’s product development efforts
BLACKSBURG, VA., May 2, 2023 – Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has brought C.J. King on board as Chief Engineering Officer. King, who was previously Vice President of Software Engineering at HERE Technologies, brings more than 18 years of engineering, software, hardware, and autonomous expertise to the company. His leadership will drive the unification of all Torc’s engineering efforts to align with the company’s roadmap and key milestones. King’s experience on a global scale will support Torc’s Engineering team in its preparations for the commercial launch of Torc’s autonomous truck solution.
“Further strengthening our executive leadership team, C.J. is a critical hire on Torc’s path toward the commercialization of autonomous trucks for long-haul applications in the U.S.,” commented Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc Robotics’ CEO. “C.J. is a seasoned leader with the skillset and experience to propel Torc’s engineering efforts and vision forward, and we are thrilled for him to begin his work alongside the team.”
King has extensive expertise in product development, managing global, diverse teams, technology optimizations and new-system implementations as a result of his previous roles at HERE Technologies and as a Senior Software Development Manager at Amazon, where he led the Native Cloud Re-Architecture Engineering team. King also spent time at Ford Motor Company, where he oversaw their product development team for virtual driver development and at Toyota Motor Corporation, functioning as chief architect for next -generation multimedia systems and driving rapid integration of the latest consumer technology into automotive.
“From the start of discussions with the Torc team, it was clear that each and every team member was driven to truly transform the trucking industry,” commented King. “I look forward to collaborating and growing with this top-notch team as we continue to further develop Torc’s autonomous technology and products.”
ABOUT TORC ROBOTICS
Torc Robotics, headquartered in Blacksburg, Virginia, is an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, a global leader and pioneer in trucking. Founded in 2005 at the birth of the self-driving vehicle revolution, Torc has 17 years of experience in pioneering safety-critical, self-driving applications. Torc offers a complete self-driving vehicle software and integration solution and is currently focusing on commercializing autonomous trucks for long-haul applications in the U.S. Torc operates test facilities in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and engineering offices in Austin, Texas, and Stuttgart, Germany. Torc’s mission is saving lives with autonomous technology, which incorporates reducing highway deaths, enabling critical supplies – including medicines and foods – to reach every community in a timely manner, and helping the transportation industry increase fuel economy, uptime, and capacity.
I look forward to collaborating and growing with this top-notch team as we continue to further develop Torc’s autonomous technology and products.
C.J. King, Chief Engineering Officer