Bringing Real-World Expertise to Autonomous Vehicle Development
On July 16, 2026, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel from agencies across the southwest Virginia region joined Torc engineers and safety experts for a series of targeted testing exercises at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) Smart Road closed-course test track to further evaluate how our self-driving truck detects, interprets, and responds to emergency vehicles and personnel in real-world scenarios.
The goal was simple but critical: to better understand how autonomous vehicles can safely and effectively interact with emergency responders in dynamic traffic situations as well as roadside environments.
Using our most recent generation of Torc self-driving trucks (SDTs) on the VTTI Smart Road, the team conducted emergency vehicle (EMV) data collection across a variety of realistic scenarios. These exercises allowed Torc to expand its training dataset, gather valuable operational insights, and further improve the system’s ability to recognize and respond appropriately to emergency situations.
For autonomous vehicles operating on public roads, emergency interactions represent some of the most complex and unpredictable conditions they may encounter. Ensuring that self-driving trucks can accurately detect emergency vehicles, interpret responder actions, and make safe driving decisions is an essential part of building a dependable autonomous system.
Learning From Those Who Know the Road Best
Expanding Data, Improving Performance
The event also delivered significant technical value.
High-quality emergency vehicle and responder interaction data is critical for improving perception systems. Every scenario performed at the test track contributes to a broader and more diverse dataset that can be used to enhance the truck’s ability to recognize emergency vehicles under varying conditions and respond appropriately.
“Collaboration with first responders is essential to developing safe, reliable autonomous vehicle technology,” says Erik Kinservik, Director of Engineering. “Working directly with law enforcement, fire, and EMS helps us understand real-world operational needs and ensures our vehicles respond appropriately in emergency situations, improving safety, supporting effective emergency response, and building public trust.”
“Using our latest generation vehicle, we expanded our high-quality data set, covering a wide breadth of scenarios across the multiple onsite police, fire, and rescue vehicles,” says Zach Joswick, Senior Software Engineer. “By capturing this widely varied data in both static and dynamic situations, our AV 3.0 software can learn the diverse range of shapes and sizes of EMVs and respond accordingly. Our simulation environment can take the captured data, and generate thousands of permutations to even further enhance the AV 3.0 model’s capability to respond to complex emergency situations.”
By expanding this data foundation, Torc continues to strengthen the reliability and robustness of its autonomous driving system, ensuring it is prepared to operate safely across a wide range of real-world situations.
Building Partnerships That Matter
Beyond the technical outcomes, collaborations like this reinforce the importance of strong relationships between autonomous vehicle developers and the public safety community.
Developing autonomous technology is not something that happens in isolation. It requires ongoing collaboration with the people who will interact directly with these systems on the road. By working side by side with first responders, Torc receives valuable operational insight from industry experts while providing transparency into how autonomous vehicles are being developed and tested.
“Building autonomous technology isn’t just about advancing the vehicle. It’s about building strong partnerships with the people who will interact with it every day,” says Russell. “Working alongside first responders helps us create safer systems while fostering the trust that’s essential for successful deployment.”
These partnerships help ensure that safety remains at the center of innovation while also building trust among stakeholders and the broader public.
A Shared Commitment to Safer Roads
The success of Torc’s alliance with First Responders highlights what can be accomplished when diverse groups come together around a common mission. Engineers, operators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel regularly collaborate to advance a shared goal: creating safer roadways through thoughtful innovation and rigorous testing.
“Ongoing engagement is essential because we know we won’t anticipate every question. That’s why maintaining an open dialogue with first responders is such an important part of what we do,” says Russell.
As Torc continues to develop autonomous trucking technology, ongoing collaboration with first responders will remain a critical part of the journey. Their expertise, partnership, and dedication help us build systems that are not only technologically advanced, but also safe, practical, and responsive to the realities of the road.
At Torc, safety is the foundation of everything we do. Building a safe and reliable autonomous trucking solution requires more than advanced technology. It requires close collaboration with the people who work every day to keep our roads safe, and together, we are helping shape the future of transportation, one built on safety, operational integrity, and strong collaboration.