C.R. England and Torc Robotics will work together on long-haul autonomous trucking pilots
BLACKSBURG, VA – May 9, 2023 – Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG and a pioneer in commercializing self-driving vehicle technology, today announced its strategic collaboration with C.R. England, one of North America’s premier transportation companies. Torc and C.R. England will implement a pilot program leveraging C.R. England’s temperature-controlled loads and Torc’s fleet of Level 4 autonomous test trucks for long-haul applications. The collaboration will serve as an expansion for Torc into refrigerated freight.
C.R. England and Torc are excited to participate in this joint pilot, which will provide select customers with temperature-controlled capacity and world-class service. Information from the pilot will include unique insights, and will help guide the development and ongoing commercialization of autonomous trucks for long-haul applications. Initial planning will begin mid-2023, with on-road tests soon after.
“Torc is thrilled to be partnering with C.R. England to better improve long-haul trucking safety for one of the premium service providers and largest refrigerated carriers in the nation,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc Robotics CEO. “The data derived from the pilot will contribute to our safety and validation efforts and use cases for autonomous trucking.”
“C.R. England is excited to announce our partnership with Torc for pilot activities on level 4 autonomous test trucks. We believe this innovation will eventually provide the ability to expand our network safely, with high levels of service to our customers, all while enhancing the quality of existing driver jobs,” says Chad England, C.R. England CEO. “Specifically, by adding autonomous lanes to our network, we can expand our customer offerings and create more structured jobs for drivers at both ends of autonomous runs. Torc’s deep integration with Daimler Truck AG makes our two organizations a perfect fit for piloting this new technology.”
The pilot program with C.R. England is Torc’s second announced carrier pilot. This news comes on the heels of Torc’s recently announced acquisition of Algolux for its award-winning intellectual property and expertise in computer vision and machine learning.
Torc’s deep integration with Daimler Truck AG makes our two organizations a perfect fit for piloting this new technology.
Chad England, C.R. England CEO
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.
ABOUT C.R. ENGLAND
Founded in 1920, C.R. England is headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT and is one of North America’s premier transportation providers. The company is an industry leader in Dedicated, Over-The-Road, cross-border Mexico, Intermodal, and Logistics services. C.R. England has been regularly recognized for management excellence. This year, the company was recognized by Newsweek as one of ‘America’s Greatest Workplaces for Women,’ and ‘America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity.’ Additionally, C.R. England was recently honored by The Wall Street Journal as a ‘US Best Managed Company,’ by Glassdoor with their ‘Top Places to Work’ award, and by Achievers with their ‘50 Most Engaged Workplaces™ Award.’ C.R. England is committed to giving back to the community by fighting childhood hunger. With each load delivered, the company feeds a child, with the goal of feeding one million children per year.
Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck NA, headed west for the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Conference and Expo at the beginning of May 2023. The four-day conference focused on the trends and technologies transforming commercial transportation, and as such, autonomous trucking took a front seat. Attendees and exhibitors chose from over 30 sessions and toured 300 booths, including Torc at booth 6957.
Nick Elder, Torc Director of Corporate Strategy, spoke twice at the event on Wednesday afternoon, May 3. First, he held a Tech Talk on the Expo stage, elaborating on the relationship between Torc and DTNA, and the Torc mission to arrive at Level 4, driver out, autonomous operation in the market.
“One of the natural questions is always what’s the timeline look like for this. We’re looking at these advanced technologies and autonomy is an incredibly challenging proposition,” said Nick. “And we’ve been clear since the very early days: We’re going release a product when it is safe to do so, and that means rigorous validation. And that that is going to take time to accomplish.”
“So what is Torc’s vision? When we think about the pillars that we want stand on, as we look to bring automation into the Class 8 space, first and foremost, bringing value to customers, in a safe way. We want to create a safer solution that will ultimately bring value to freight networks, to carriers, and to the end customer, the shippers,” Nick continued. “We believe that to do that it’s absolutely imperative that you collaborate with partners. So that means partnerships with OEMs like Daimler, it means partnerships with carriers as well to make sure we’re developing the right product and that it can integrate into the freight ecosystem.”
Additionally, Daimler Truck NA president and CEO and Torc Board Member John O’Leary opened up the Expo as a keynote speaker. DTNA was also a presenting sponsor of ACT Expo 2023 and hosted booth 6440.
One of the reasons why we appreciate the relationship we have with Torc is because you bring us together, and we can have these conversation. We can tackle some but not all of the challenges together, because we’re all going to deal with the different ‘what if’ scenarios.
Matt McLelland, VP of Sustainability and Innovation, Covenant
Later on Wednesday, Nick took part in a breakout session entitled “Autonomous – Developments in Piloting and Scaling Commercial Autonomous Vehicles.” Moderated by Chris King, Senior Vice President, eMobility, Siemens, the other panelists included Michael Wiesinger, Vice President of Commercialization, Kodiak Robotics; Mike Plasencia, Managing Director of RyderVentures and New Product Strategy, Ryder System, Inc.; and Shawn Kerrigan, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Plus.
Speaking as part of the panel, Nick elaborated on one commonality between Torc and the other participants in regard to autonomous vehicle operational design domains. “When we look at these level designation for autonomy, I think we’re all going to be focused on that L4 space. So it’s going to have a defined domain. And that really references the type of infrastructure you can handle, what type of roads you can handle, the environmental conditions that you can handle,” said Nick.
“If a truck is dispatched from a location and during its journey, midway in transit, it starts to snow or rain — beyond the capabilities of that system — it’s going to be critical that the system is capable of understanding that it’s now going outside of the domain in which it was designed to operate. And it will still need to find itself in a safe state,” he continued. “It’s going to have to know that it is beyond those limits and make itself safe.”
Torc looks forward to returning to ACT Expo in 2024. For more information about Torc and the presentations shared at the event, contact press@torc.ai.
The level of engagement and commitment, not to mention the record-setting attendance, at the ACT Expo this week makes it exceedingly clear what direction the inertia of the industry is pointed. We continue to get critical feedback on the ultimate vision of a sustainable, scalable autonomous trucking solution.
Walter Grigg, Director of Product Strategy, Torc Robotics
We want to create a safer solution that will ultimately bring value to freight networks, to carriers, and to the end customer, the shippers. We believe that to do that it’s absolutely imperative that you collaborate with partners. So that means partnerships with OEMs like Daimler, it means partnerships with carriers as well to make sure we’re developing the right product and that it can integrate into the freight ecosystem.
With over 18 years of experience, King’s leadership will help propel Torc’s product development efforts
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.
The rise of artificial intelligence has been brewing for decades. In the past year alone, we’ve seen incredible developments in several forms of AI. From language models to personal assistants, this new technology has the potential to transform countless industries – and in some companies, it already has.
In the world of autonomous vehicles and self-driving semi-truck companies, Torc uses artificial intelligence every day as a tool for those self-driving semi-trucks, and to make some of our internal processes more efficient. AI is a part of our autonomous driving systems, but there’s a ton of misleading information out there about how it all works. Does artificial intelligence make all the same decisions that a human driver would make? What companies make the AI for self-driving cars and trucks? With the help of Torc’s Director of Engineering in Product Development, Justin Brown, we’re answering all these questions and more in this self-driving AI deep dive.
How do self-driving vehicles use AI?
Autonomous trucks collect an incredible amount of data while they are on the road due to the multitude of sensors used to localize and understand the environment around the vehicle.
Some of this data is fed into a machine learning pipeline, which is both a subset of artificial intelligence and a broad term used to refer to automated data processing.
Torc combines AI and traditional approaches to data processing to ensure it is balanced and traceable. On the road data processing enables the software in a self-driving 18-wheeler to take in data from its sensor suite and automatically classify it. Artificial Intelligence shines particularly in vision-based classification, helping the system define signs or objects made for human vision. It’s what allows our trucks to “see” a traffic light turning yellow, process that change, and decide to slow down.
At their core, self-driving semi-trucks are decision-making machines. Artificial intelligence helps provide additional information to make those decisions.
Think about the way that you learned to drive. There’s a good chance you made some mistakes that taught you a ton about putting the pedal to the metal. There’s also a good chance that you learned a lot about why being a predictable driver is such an important contender for safety – and you might’ve learned that human drivers aren’t always predictable.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning allow self-driving software systems to learn about the environment just like people do. Subsets of artificial intelligence, like the deep learning algorithms used in autonomous driving technology, run data through several layers of neural network systems (computer systems modeled after the human brain and nervous system – complete with artificial neurons) in order for the overall system to “learn by example”. The system may be trained on thousands of types of traffic lights, for instance, so the autonomous driving system can recognize one on the road.
Machine Learning and Responsible Use
While machine learning is certainly an important tool in our toolbox, it’s not the only approach we use for development. Our autonomous driving system uses diverse technologies, each selected for the right use case. Together, traditional code and artificial intelligence come together to recognize patterns, predict the movement of traffic and influence driving behaviors.
We also uphold rigorous standards of ethics and safety when it comes to machine learning. It is important to ensure our data collection processes are explainable and transparent. We work alongside government officials and regulators to create guidelines around concepts like data bias, sustainability, and other key factors. At Torc, we carry out careful consideration of issues like fairness, accountability, transparency, and privacy, in each stage of our development. As the technology continues to advance, we’ll work alongside our colleagues, policymakers, and researchers to create mindful processes around autonomous driving systems.
What kind of AI do self-driving vehicles use?
With the rise of chatbots, language models, and even neural networks that can create images, AI has become a vast and sprawling form of technology. However, there are many different types that can be used depending on use case. Currently, computer science defines AI in four types: reactive, limited memory, theory of mind, and “self-aware”.
Reactive AI is the most basic form of AI, wherein a machine is programmed with a specific output based on the given input. Most of us encounter reactive AI in things like recommended shopping algorithms, streaming service recommendations, and spam filters.
Theory of mind AI, or AI, is just coming to fruition; this type of AI interacts with the emotions and thoughts of people. Machines equipped with theory of mind AI will be able to gauge a person’s facial expression and adjust behavior based on that calculation.
Lastly, limited memory AI is the most common form of AI used today and, therefore, the most established – especially when it comes to self-driving vehicles and autonomous driving technology. It uses both historical and observational data alongside pre-programmed information to make predictions about the world around it.
What’s the difference between other forms of AI and ADS AI?
Limited memory AI is used in autonomous trucks, sometimes referred to as AV trucks, and other forms of self-driving vehicle technology for precisely the same reason as those chatbots. Limited memory AI allows a system to make decisions on its own, but within designated parameters.
In an autonomous 18-wheeler, this would be most apparent in things like road obstacles. Say that an automated semi-truck is driving along the interstate in Arizona. As the truck drives on, it detects a traffic cone knocked over in the lane ahead. The vehicle perceives the item and, via those pre-programmed parameters, calculates that this is an object that has the ability to move, but likely will not. Those pre-programmed parameters also inform the truck that it’s not necessarily a dangerous object, but it’s best to avoid all potential obstacles where possible.
The autonomous driving system for the semi-truck is using this prior information to “remember” that the cone can move. It can also be a signal to highway users that there’s reason for caution surrounding the cone. Via these deductions, it uses behavioral parameters to determine the best course of action. In this case, it’s likely moving out of the lane until the truck is clear of the obstacle.
Like any other form of AI, the artificial intelligence used by autonomous 18-wheelers is rife with myths and misinformation. “There’s a common misconception that the vehicle’s processing, and its AI systems, happens off the vehicle,” says Justin. “But navigation, perceiving what objects are and how fast they’re going – all that happens on the vehicle, so it doesn’t require an internet connection or anything like that.”
As a self-driving truck company, Torc takes pride in the safety of our technology and processes. Like all of our sensors and software components, we utilize artificial intelligence with the safety and security of pedestrians, drivers, and other highway users in mind.
“While AI is involved in the whole decision-making process of driving one of our trucks, it’s not the sole element,” Justin answered. “There are many systems ‘driving’, there are several sensors defining what its surroundings look like, and a ton of other processes happening.”
Justin Chong, Torc’s Director of Engineering in Product Development
How is AI trained in an automated semi-truck vs. other forms of AI?
Those language learning models that have been in the headlines have one key aspect to their education: it’s human-enforced. Every time a human engages with a language learning model (and sometimes sophisticated chatbots), that human assists in teaching the model how to behave. While this is an oversimplification of how those kinds of models work (and there is some supervised learning involved), it is a significant part of how these systems work at their core.
“The use cases for these autonomous semi-trucks is really specific and niche,” Brown answered when we asked him about these AI training differences. “But the systems aren’t sentient. AI doesn’t think for itself in the way that the movies make it sound – at least not yet. In the case of things like ChatGPT, those models heavily rely on replication, which is how you get a model that says things that are factually incorrect.”
Enter AI training for an automated semi-truck. In the early stages, data collection and selection is a huge part of how these vehicles are tested. Before a vehicle ever hits the road, its software and hardware is subject to a series of rigorous tests to ensure that all behaviors are performed as intended. Our engineers’ goal is to train on good data, ensuring that our systems have an in-depth body of knowledge with which to use. We can also utilize augmentation, inserting simulated objects into real data, to predict outcomes and test existing systems. Then, we measure the ADS performance in simulation to understand how we’re performing and make adjustments where necessary.
Once new software is deemed ready for on-road testing, we continue to collect data. When each test run is complete, the data collected from the run is analyzed by Torc’s team of forensic engineers.
Is AI driving a self-driving car or truck?
There are some important nuances involved in the way that driverless semi-trucks use these kinds of systems. Namely, its level of involvement.
“While AI is involved in the whole decision-making process of driving one of our trucks, it’s not the sole element,” Justin answered. “There are many systems ‘driving’, there are several sensors defining what its surroundings look like, and a ton of other processes happening.”
Artificial intelligence does help a vehicle recognize patterns and make decisions based on those patterns. However, in Torc’s autonomous driving system, there are some limitations to ensure that a neural network isn’t solely responsible for dynamic driving task decisions.
For instance, let’s say our autonomous freight truck’s route is impacted by road closures. While artificial intelligence may help the system recognize the traffic cones or other traffic control devices, other behaviors software parameters would be responsible for choosing the appropriate lane to move to, according to rules set by programmers. At times, traditional software rules may be more predictable, and thus, safer.
At Torc, our safety-first focus leads our development approach. Therefore, our AV trucks will always choose the safer option over the most convenient one.
Is AI the future?
Whether or not AI is the future for all industries and technologies is certainly up for debate. Artificial intelligence is an integral part of self-driving software, making it both a key piece of our technological present and future.
Martin Daum was added to the board on January 1, 2023. He joins John O’Leary, president and CEO of Daimler Truck, Stefan Kürschner, CFO of Daimler Truck, Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc’s CEO and former head of Daimler Truck’s Autonomous Technology Group, and Michael Fleming, founder and former CEO of Torc. Peter Vaughan Schmidt became Torc’s CEO in October 2022, replacing Fleming who stepped down after more than 16 years.
Daum has been instrumental in Torc’s relationship as an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck. “Following the pioneering work in recent years, Torc is now entering the next phase,” said Daum during the 2022 CEO transition. “The aim now is to establish Torc as a global company with four locations, bring autonomous trucking technology to perfection in the next few years, and ultimately to series production.”
“Martin Daum brings more than 25 years of leadership experience from the vehicle manufacturing and trucking markets to help guide Torc toward our commercial launch. I greatly value his advice and willingness to serve as a Torc Board member,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt upon Daum’s appointment.
At Daimler AG, Martin Daum has been Member of the Board of Management, responsible for Daimler Trucks and Buses, from 2017 until 2021. He has been Chairman of Board of Management of Daimler Truck Holding AG since December 1, 2021. He is also Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG.
58 miles of perfect driving – CEO Martin Daum convinced himself of our #autonomous Freightliner truck in the U.S., whose advanced safety features made a secure journey possible. See for yourself 👇 pic.twitter.com/iMaPC185jn
The certification shows commitment to quality for a Level 4 autonomous driving solution
Torc has received certification for the ISO 9001:2015 Standard for Quality Management for its Quality Management Systems (QMS) at its Blacksburg, Virginia, locations.
ISO 9001:2015 is an international standard for QMS developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The certification provides a model for companies of all types and sizes to use in building an effective QMS. It outlines the requirements for a QMS to be implemented in an organization and is based on several quality management principles including a strong customer focus, the involvement of top management, a process approach, and continual improvement. The standard is designed to help organizations consistently meet customer requirements and improve their overall performance.
The Torc ISO 9001:2015 certificate (#112494.00) was issued by DEKRA Certifications, Inc., a global QMS certification body. The scope of TORC’s certification includes design and installation of software and sensor suite integration of Level 4 autonomous driving on heavy-duty vehicles. Activities at Torc’s Blacksburg locations are included in the scope of this unique certification.
“Creating a safe and scalable autonomous driving solution has been Torc’s vision,” commented Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc CEO. “The ISO 9001 registration recognizes the robustness of the quality management system and structure for Torc as we move from an R&D company to a customer and product-based organization.”
“Our goal is to build a robust quality foundation and encourage a spirit of continuous improvement,” said Greg Valatka, Director of Quality, Facilities and Occupational Safety at Torc. “Joining over one million companies worldwide, the ISO 9001:2015 certification continues to show our employees, customers, and the public our commitment not just to safety, but to quality as well. Although many industries recognize ISO 9001, TORC continues to show its leadership by becoming one of the first in the autonomous vehicle space to achieve this.”
“After nearly 18 months of laying the groundwork, the commitment of leadership and the collaboration from all departments, we are thrilled to have passed the ISO 9001:2015 audit,” said Kevin Mink, manager of Quality Assurance at TORC. “This achievement is a testament to the diligent work from the entire team and this will allow us to expand our efforts on our path to commercializing Level 4 autonomous trucks.”
Our mission at Torc is centered around saving lives. Every day, we hone in on the solutions that will make our world a better place to live in. From creating automated driving software with the potential to reduce accidents to our robust charitable giving initiatives, we spent 2022 launching long-term and short-term programs to assist the communities around us.
Blacksburg Grown, Blacksburg Forward
From our our humble Virginia Tech routes to our headquarters nestled within the Hokie mountains, we’ve grown within the great town of Blacksburg and beyond. In 2022, we’re proud to say that we gave back in a multitude of ways.
We started the year off strong with Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Sharing the Road with Trucks Program: a safety education and outreach program dedicated towards teaching teen drivers how to navigate around heavy trucks. As a result of Torc’s charitable contributions and the contributions of our fellow Blacksburg businesses, these up-and-coming drivers got up close and personal with a semi-truck, understood its blind spots, learned how to properly pass a truck in traffic, and more.
We also participated in several other Blacksburg-based initiatives, both within Virginia Tech and in the greater area. In 2022, Torc gave back to local Makerspace, Hacksburg; participated in Virginia Tech’s Day of Remembrance Golf Tournament, donated to the Blacksburg Volunteer Rescue Squad, and sponsored one of Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering’s Sports Leagues.
Our Torc family of engineers, trucking professionals, and autonomy experts got its start in Blacksburg; it’s thanks to this community that we’ve been able to reach new heights in our technology, our company culture, and more.
Education, Making Merry, and More
At Torc, we’re passionate about education. Whether it’s teaching our friends and family about automated semi-trucks (or autonomous semi-trucks) or learning new things from the world around us, we immerse ourselves in education whenever we can. As a result, any of our 2022 charity initiatives were dedicated towards educational pursuits.
At the SAE Foundation’s Learn Twice program, we contributed to hands-on STEM activities for schoolchildren across the country. We also sponsored Upper St. Clair’s Robotics Club, PAVE’s High School Essay Contest, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers at the University of New Mexico, and others. We’re especially proud of our Radford University Summer Bridge participation, wherein high school students are invited for a weeklong, STEM-focused, summer intensive.
Alongside these education-first organizations, we’re helping create the next great generation of engineers, software developers, and autonomy professionals. We’re thrilled to empower countless students, educators, and lifelong learners in their pursuits.
Aside from our educational efforts, we also assisted the Make Merry Project at our Albuquerque offices as well as the New Mexico Heart Walk. Our team not only raised funds for this holiday gift-giving program, but also transported said gifts on their journey to families across the city. Similarly, our ABQ team invested in their community by adopting a highway. This Torc-sponsored stretch of NM-14 was cleaned up by our ABQ Torc’rs, who devoted their free time towards this environmentally-forward cause.
Giving Back in 2023
2022 has been one incredible chapter for our Torc community. We’ve had the opportunity to learn from our local students, support long-haul truckers, and hear the stories of so many others. As we move further into 2023, we’re looking forward to the new and exciting ways in which we’ll be able to support our community.
(Blacksburg, Va. – Feb. 28, 2023) Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG and a pioneer in commercializing self-driving vehicle technology, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Algolux Inc. Torc is acquiring Algolux for its award-winning intellectual property and expertise in the areas of computer vision and machine learning.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Algolux to the Torc family,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc CEO. “Algolux’s technology, at the intersection of deep learning, computer vision, and computational imaging, will help Torc strengthen key capabilities toward our commercialization of Level 4 autonomous trucking.”
“Torc shares in our commitment to create robust technology to realize the potential of autonomy and help save lives, which is one of the many reasons why joining forces makes sense for our teams, ” said Allan Benchetrit, Algolux president and CEO. “Algolux’s established team with deep expertise in Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) talent and perception complements Torc’s already experienced engineering team.”
“This acquisition brings together Algolux’s end-to-end AI stack, from photons to behavior, with Torc’s pioneering autonomous technology. Add in a tightly integrated OEM truck platform and you have a dream scenario,” said Felix Heide, Algolux CTO. “While many think of autonomous transportation as futuristic, this winning combination will help bring to market a commercially viable, safety-critical long-haul trucking application at scale.”
Algolux has been consistently recognized for excellence in its field and has been named to the 2021 CB Insights AI 100 List of the world’s most innovative artificial intelligence startups. Torc has been working closely with the AI company for over a year on multiple perception concepts and methods for robustly improving object detection and distance estimation, while evaluating synergies between the two companies. Robust perception technology is key to helping Torc’s autonomous system correctly identify objects in difficult visual conditions such as low light, fog, or inclement weather. Algolux software is currently operating on initial Freightliner Cascadia test vehicles and is being included in areas of Torc’s software development efforts.
Algolux is headquartered in Montreal, Canada, with offices in Palo Alto, CA, and Munich, Germany. The transaction will close after the parties complete various pre-closing activities, including any required approvals.
Allan Benchetrit, president and CEO of Algolux, and Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc CEO, on acquisition signing day.
Algolux’s technology, at the intersection of deep learning, computer vision, and computational imaging, will help Torc strengthen key capabilities toward our commercialization of Level 4 autonomous trucking.
Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Torc CEO
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.
Algolux est un leader reconnu dans la perception pour les véhicules autonomes
(Blacksburg, VA – 28 février 2023) Torc Robotics, une filiale indépendante de Daimler Truck AG pionnière dans la commercialisation de technologie de véhicules à conduite autonome, a annoncé aujourd’hui la signature d’une entente visant à faire l’acquisition d’Algolux inc. Torc acquiert Algolux pour sa propriété intellectuelle primée etson expertise dans les domaines de la vision artificielle et de l’apprentissage machine.
Nous sommes ravis d’accueillir Algolux dans la famille Torc », déclare Peter Vaughan Schmidt, PDG de Torc. « La technologie d’Algolux, au croisement de l’apprentissage profond, de la vision artificielle et de l’imagerie informatisée, aidera Torc à renforcer ses compétences clés vers sa commercialisation du camionnage autonome de niveau 4.
Torc partage notre engagement à créer une technologie robuste afin de réaliser le potentiel de l’autonomie et aider à sauver des vies, ce qui représente l’une des nombreuses raisons pourquoi nous joignons les forces de nos équipes », explique Allan Benchetrit, PDG d’Algolux. « L’équipe chevronnée d’Algolux, avec son expertise approfondie en talent et perception d’intelligence artificielle (IA) et d’apprentissage machine (AM), vient compléter l’équipe d’ingénierie déjà expérimentée de Torc.
Technologie de perception Algolux en deux vues, combinant à la fois vision par ordinateur régulière + profondeur.
Cette acquisition rassemble la pile d’IA de bout en bout d’Algolux, allant des photons au comportement, ainsi que la technologie autonome révolutionnaire de Torc. Avec une plateforme de camionnage FEO étroitement intégrée, nous avons le scénario idéal », ajoute Felix Heide, directeur de la transformation numérique à Algolux. « Alors que plusieurs personnes pensent que le transport autonome est futuriste, cette combinaison gagnante contribuera à commercialiser l’application sûre et rentable du camionnage longue distance à grande échelle.
Son excellence dans le domaine a souvent valu de la reconnaissance à Algolux, notamment en étant nommée dans la liste « 2021 CB Insights AI 100 » parmi les entreprises d’intelligence artificielle en démarrage les plus novatrices. Depuis plus d’un an, Torc travaille étroitement avec l’entreprise sur plusieurs concepts et méthodes de perception afin d’améliorer considérablement la détection d’objets et l’estimation de la distance, tout en évaluant les synergies entre les deux organisations.La technologie de perception robuste est la clé pour aider le système autonome de Torc à identifier correctement les objets lors de conditions visuelles difficiles, comme une faible luminosité, du brouillard ou du mauvais temps. Le logiciel d’Algolux fonctionne actuellement sur les véhicules de test initiaux de Freightliner Cascadia et fait partie de certains efforts de développement de logiciels de Torc.
Le siège social d’Algolux se trouve à Montréal, au Canada, avec des bureaux à Palo Alto, en Californie, et à Munich, en Allemagne.
La technologie d’Algolux, au croisement de l’apprentissage profond, de la vision artificielle et de l’imagerie informatisée, aidera Torc à renforcer ses compétences clés vers sa commercialisation du camionnage autonome de niveau 4.
Peter Vaughan Schmidt, PDG de Torc
À propos de Torc Robotics
Torc Robotics, dont le siège social est à Blacksburg, en Virginie, est une filiale indépendante de Daimler Truck AG, un leader international et pionnier du camionnage. Fondée en 2005 lors de l’émergence de la révolution des véhicules sans conducteur, Torc possède 17 années d’expérience dans les applications précurseurs de conduite autonome au cœur desquelles se trouve la sécurité. Torc offre un logiciel complet et une solution d’intégration aux véhicules à conduite autonome. L’entreprise se concentre actuellement sur la commercialisation de camions autonomes pour les applications longue distance aux États-Unis. Torc possède des installations de test à Albuquerque, au Nouveau-Mexique, ainsi que des bureaux d’ingénierie à Austin, au Texas, et à Stuttgart en Allemagne. La mission de Torc consiste à sauver des vies grâce à la technologie autonome, notamment réduire le nombre de décès sur l’autoroute, livrer des fournitures essentielles (comme des médicaments et de la nourriture) à toutes les communautés de manière opportune et contribuer à l’amélioration de l’économie de carburant, la disponibilité et la capacité du secteur des transports.
Chaka’s over 25 years of experience supports Torc’s growth and safety-focused mission of leveraging autonomous trucking technology to help save lives
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Feb 22, 2023 – Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, has named Michelle Chaka as senior vice president, Safety and Regulatory. Michelle brings over 25 years of safety and regulatory expertise to the company, having a unique mix of experience at General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and most recently, Locomation.
In her new role, Chaka will serve as the safety champion for Torc, fostering a culture that values safety, data-driven and evidence-based approaches, and transparency. She will oversee and coordinate safety across the company which includes the Safety Management System (SMS) program, regulatory compliance, and industry best practices. Important aspects of the SMS program are governance, risk management, and assurance. Chaka will serve as the chair of the Torc Safety Board (TSB) and continue to build the SMS program. Additionally, she will co-chair the Legal and Regulatory Safety Committee (LARS). Chaka will report directly to Torc’s CEO, Peter Vaughan Schmidt.
“Torc is dedicated to saving lives through the use of innovative technologies. From my first conversation with the Torc team, it was evident that saving lives was more than an aspirational mission, it is a Torc core value,” commented Chaka. “Serving as a champion for safety is an honor, and I am thrilled to be joining a team whose culture embodies and exemplifies safety in every aspect of the company.”
Chaka’s extensive experience provides a solid safety, regulatory, and engineering foundation, and she is well-versed in automated technology and data analytics. As a proven safety leader, she has delivered innovative products/programs from concept to production and worked with the larger safety community to advance safety for all road users. Furthermore, Chaka led automated driving research projects sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) and which NHTSA published to provide the learnings to all stakeholders.
Chaka holds a master of science in Automotive Engineering Technology from the University of Michigan and a bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University.
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.
Torc hosted a fireside chat at Manifest 2023 in Las Vegas on Wednesday, February 2. Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO of Torc, Joanna Buttler, head of the global autonomous technology group at Daimler Truck, and Brian Stuelpner, vice president of strategy, planning and architecture with Schneider, gathered in the Torc booth to discuss the autonomous freight pilot program collaboration between the three companies, moderated by Torc Robotics director of product strategy, Walter Grigg.
Individually, they each stressed the need for safety in and around the technology, a clear understanding of the use cases of autonomy both on the Torc side and the freight side, and the practical needs for servicing trucks. Watch the full chat below, and check out the transcript to read along.
Transcript of the Torc Fireside Chat with Peter Vaughan Schmidt, Joanna Buttler, and Brian Stuelpner.
Walter Grigg All right. For those of you interested in and hearing the panel here, our fireside chat. I’m Walter Grigg with Torc Robotics. I work in our corporate strategy group. I focus primarily on maintaining and developing our relationships with our partners, focused on collaboration, which is really going to be the majority of the topic that we talk about today.
If it’s not already obvious to all of you, we are an independent majority owned subsidiary of Daimler Truck, focused on Level 4 development in the Class 8 space. With us today, we’ve got Brian Stuelpner from Schneider, one of our key partners. Joanna Buttler from Daimler Truck as well as Peter Vaughan Schmidt, our CEO at Torc Robotics. We started as Torc Robotics, with Daimler Truck in collaboration and partnership on how to develop this technology and bring it to market.
And we wanted to talk about how collaboration and partnership across the industry takes place as we develop these things. So if possible, what I’d like to do is have each of you introduce yourself. Brian from Schneider, Joanna from DTNA, Peter Vaughan Schmidt from Torc Robotics. Introduce yourself, talk about what your role is, and we’ll get into further questions about how partnership drives the development of this technology.
Brian Stuelpner OK. I’ll go first. Good afternoon. My name is Brian Stuelpner. I’m with Schneider, vice president of strategy, planning and architecture. And in that role, I work with our strategy innovation teams, some various technical responsibilities, and then today I’ll be representing our experience as part of this pilot. So thank you for having us.
Joanna Buttler I’m Joanna Buttler. I’m with Daimler Truck North America. I lead our global autonomous technology group. And in my role, and my team is working on unlocking the value of autonomous driving for the industry, for society, and, of course, for our valued customers. And in that, we’re developing the truck platform with our partners like Torc Robotics and also work towards really developing an ecosystem, an infrastructure that enables this technology.
Peter Vaughan Schmidt And my name is Peter Schmidt. I came from Daimler Trucks where I had been 17 years. October 1st, CEO of Torc Robotics. So I just finished my first hundred days and still super excited… this bird can fly… like hell. And it’s a really cool job. And I’m yeah, my job is obviously running the company, but also bringing it to the next level, which means making this technology a true product and a business, not only cool tech. Looking forward to it.
“This bird can fly like hell.“
Peter Vaughan Schmidt
Walter Grigg So thank you all very much. So as we talked about, in the frame of partnership and collaboration, Torc Robotics individually sees the only pathway to success as working with the industry partners, understanding what’s needed to make a product. Joanna, as Daimler is a market share leader, many, many customers in the space. Collaboration and partnership clearly is what built the organization that you have. If you could take the opportunity to talk about how you collaborate with fleets, how you work with them, and how it also relates, one, in the frame of this technology, but also, the other technologies that Daimler’s employing.
Joanna Buttler Yeah, absolutely. Great question to start off with. So we have a purpose principle that says we start with listening and that is really what our collaboration with our customers is all about. We do not understand trucking and also this is what the business of our customers are and we really want to understand how does technology, any technology that we develop, work seamlessly with logistics processes and really has an impact, a positive impact on our customers’ business and bottom line.
And to give you a couple of examples, we established so-called “customer councils” and this is a forum and an opportunity to really sit together, collaborate, collect feedback and collect input and play that back also to our customers. On the mobility side, in all our electric mobility products that you see right now in the market, they could not have come to life without the input of our customers, and really helping us define and design what this product should do and how it can work and then ultimately testing and validating it together. And now when we talk about autonomous, we are also establishing and have established a council. But I’ll let Peter talk a little bit more about the advisory council.
Walter Grigg That’s the Torc Autonomous Advisory Council; we took Daimler’s lead. You showed us the framework of how to do it and Peter, if you have any thoughts on how we utilize the Torc Autonomous Advisory Council?
Peter Vaughan Schmidt First of all, what I really like about it, like you said, we start with listening. We do exactly the same thing at Torc. It’s representing, I think more or less the freight industry, transportation industries. It’s really well known names — super proud Schneider is on there but also others representing various segments because it’s not just different industries, there are many, many subsegments and we get all the input which is needed from them.
And then I think the most interesting thing about this is really I was saying, developing a product and a business, not only a cool tech. And, you know, in the end we want to do something which helps our customer, the fleets, to make their business better. Drive safer, arrive faster, reduce cost, and cost per mileage, do it at super easy to use, fully integrated into their systems.
Easy to use in mixed fleets, which will be a reality for many, many years. Manual plus automated trucks and driven in parallel, but also how to maintain, how to operate things like this and you can only learn this by collaborating with fleets.
Of course at the last thing is just fun. I mean it’s so much more motivating talking to customers, it’s so much more motivating shipping real freight instead of concrete blocks and you learn so much more because it just behaves differently and the inspiration level is much you would never want to disappoint the customer. Freight is variable. Sometimes it’s fully loaded, sometimes it’s partial. There’s so much learning and excitement that comes with it. That’s the reason.
Walter Grigg And in that piloting partnership Schneider has proven already to be an incredible partner in helping us learn and understand. Brian, getting a little bit more deeper into the core technology itself, one of the most important aspects about autonomy that you see for your organization, but also in the spirit of partnership and collaboration that you’re hearing from your customers as you’re advising them.
Brian Stuelpner Sure. So from our customer’s perspective, they’re incredibly excited about the possibilities. They want to be part of the evolving supply chain, and this is a great experience for them to be able to learn alongside us, to understand operationally, how does this work technically? How does this work to learn about the potential cost implications, the sustainability benefits potentially. So from a customer standpoint, they’re excited to be on the journey with us, which has been great.
I think from our perspective through the pilots, we’re trying to learn as much as we can. You know, not just about the technology and the operations and the processes that go along with it, but also about our partners. And I think one of the benefits that we’ve had is learning about Torc, the culture that you have, the safety mindset that you have, which is really important for us. Seeing that alignment between those core values has been has been great for us in the process.
I think one of the benefits that we’ve had is learning about Torc, the culture that you have, the safety mindset that you have, which is really important for us. Seeing that alignment between those core values has been has been great for us in the process.
Brian Stuelpner, speaking about Torc and Schneider’s alignment
Walter Grigg
Understood. I don’t know, Joanna, if you have any further insights on how you see the value of pilots, as we talked about, as Brian speaks about his customers, and his organization. I think we all fundamentally agree safety is always number one. But where do you see the value of pilots across the autonomous technology space, but also the broader DTNA and their customer base?
Joanna ButtlerYeah, absolutely. For us, as we develop the chassis, the redundant platform, it gives us the opportunity to have insights much earlier in the development process. I mean, together with our customers and also Torc and their test team, they’re collecting millions of miles and we get all that feedback and all the data back much earlier in the process than what we would do usually in a development product or project.
And also you know, we need to think about how do we go to market and how does going to market also means how are we going to service these vehicles in the future. Something that we established early on as a service model, you know, how do we provide uptime for these prototype fleets that are running on the roads right now? And this is very critical because uptime is important not just later on in production, but during the development process as well. And collaborating here with Torc with folks like Schneider and also, you know, the service network that we already have established early on in the process helps us just to learn so much sooner what it means to bring this to market and not just have the first time launch, but continuity and a great customer experience in the long run.
As we develop the chassis, the redundant platform, pilots gives us the opportunity to have insights much earlier in the development process. I mean, together with our customers and also Torc and their test team, they’re collecting millions of miles and we get all that feedback and all the data back much earlier in the process than what we would do usually in a development project.
Joanna Buttler, speaking about autonomous freight pilot programs
Walter Grigg Peter, on if you have any further insights on the value of the pilots that we’ve not already discussed or anything that you want to make sure everybody understands that we’re gaining from the pilots.
Peter Vaughan Schmidt Yeah, I think it just helps in the development process because we are running much bigger distances, a variable load, you want to arrive on time and things like that, and you arrive from hubs and you depart in hubs. So we are really confronted with the reality that if you do your testing, it’s always staged and and here it’s really about reality.
But what I like much more is also alluding to what you said, this product will be all about reliability. So it must be safe, it must have attractive cost position, but if the downtime is not as good as today or even better, industry won’t accept the product. We can design in a lot by just making sensors robust, by defining our operational design domain, and the software ourselves, but in the end, parts will break. That’s the nature. I mean, the life of a truck is really a tough one. Over one million miles? Parts will break. Now to understand what would that mean for fleets? How can we predict that something could go wrong, that it’s a planned downtime instead of an unplanned downtime? If something happens, how can we utilize what Schneider has in place? What Daimler has to offer, and I think Daimler has by far the most dense and best service station network out there. Parts, parts availability and things like that.
And that’s the other side of reliability because things go wrong. But they should go wrong planned instead of unplanned, and then be fixed as fast as possible, and as easy as possible for fleets like Schneider. And that’s that really is all about having a product, not only a cool technology. They really are that, and I think that’s what we are learning about.
Last but not least — sorry for not stopping. How does all of this integrate into our ecosystem? And it’s here in system, what APIs are needed? What information do we need to send to Schneider, let’s say from the traditional truck, plus the autonomy on top, most probably presented in a pretty similar fashion? So that is also easy to use, and that sort of big learning that we get out of it.
Walter Grigg So without the real world testing, with the partnerships with the pilots, there is no way to come up with a plausible solution with an integrate-able product. These things have to happen. The pilots must occur.
Joanna, if we have the opportunity to zoom out a little bit. So we’ve talked very closely about autonomy and about the nature of the pilots. Daimler, as a broader organization, serves the transportation industry in a lot of technologies and a lot of spaces. I don’t know if you wanted to spend some time talking about any of the other technologies, the applicability of those technologies as that stands to serve the transportation industry in terms of efficiency, safety, and maybe even dig a little bit into how we serve the industry at large, through the service network, or any of the other offerings that Daimler provides.
Joanna Buttler A big question a lot to unpack here in this question. So maybe I’ll just start with what we see here today. You know, if you take a look around the show floor at the very end, you’ll see actually the platform science track. So one example, how we build connected solutions and a platform that helps our customers in doing business easier and really integrating driver applications on a platform.
And we have been the first ones to offer that to the market with our partner platform science. Then if you step over a little bit, we just yesterday revealed our Supertruck II, really great that we could showcase how to double freight efficiency and that is still with a diesel power train. So there’s a lot of technology development even with a very traditional, let’s say, nontraditional core technologies and then of course developing and further advancing our zero emission vehicle portfolio.
Right now we focus on battery electric vehicles. We have our eCascadia in series production. I accept orders and now also this year we’ll launch our eM2 production ready. So we’re making great strides in those technologies. Then add autonomous on top of it, which we believe is really going to drive towards our what we call our vision zero, zero fatalities, zero on planned downtime, and then at some point in time, also zero emissions.
But we want to do things at the right time, the right way, move at the “speed of right,” so to speak, and bring those technologies together when the time, the maturity is there of all of them, and the use cases, especially, right? We talk about providing solutions for our customers so we don’t develop just an autonomous electric connected vehicle for the sake of doing it and have to fit, you know, the use case and task to solve a real problem.
We’re working to watch that. And for that reason, it’s important to stay connected internally within Torc, of course, but with our partners and with our customers and yeah, really excited what the future holds.
Walter Grigg So I think the opportunity to actually get some feedback from a customer when we talk about collaboration and partnership, speaking on behalf of Schneider, but also representing your counterparts and colleagues in the industry, as you’re working with technology developers and providers, the OEMs, what’s your advice on what we could do to make your organization have better tools, be more equipped? But also the feedback is your opportunity to tell us how to be better.
Brian Stuelpner Yeah, thanks, I think some have already been hit on in this conversation. So two things would jump out to me. One, a safety focus, and the other is the operational focus. So I think we as carriers have a responsibility to the motoring public to move freight safely we need to help our customers deliver on their promises safely. So for us, safety is number one.
So the technology has to work, it has to be reliable. That is why we’re doing these pilots. We want to be there at the forefront, you know, helping the technology be as safe as possible. So safety as a mindset, safety in practice, that’s number one. Number two would be the operational component. So, like you said, it can’t just be cool. It has to be cool and practical and cost effective, and and and… So for us, or for for I guess for you guys making sure that the technology does fit the right use case, that you have anticipated some of the challenges that that happen in trucking, and you have the processes and procedures to address them is important for us as well because we need uptime. We need to be on time with our freight and we need equipment that that works. And I think you guys have done a great job so far with that and we’ve really been happy as part of the process and continue to see it evolving.
Walter Grigg Understood. And Peter, as we think about working with our partners and our customers, our potential customers, as the technology expands in development, as we expand our pilot partnerships, what are you most excited about that we get to do on behalf of our customers and with our customers in the future?
Peter Vaughan Schmidt So that the transformation itself, I think solving major industry problems like driver shortage, safety or the overall capacity that we can offer. I think this is an overarching goal. It’s super interesting here. My mind also starts spinning … what is all possible once the technology really hits the road and is reliable. And you have to think about how you even could restructure logistics networks.
If all of a sudden, hours of service is no limitation anymore, you could arrive much faster, and then my mind starts spinning of what is all possible. It’s not our job; it’s the top of the fleet. And I’m pretty sure you already have 10,000 ideas. What could that all mean in the future? But it’s so exciting being part of this, elevating the industry and again, enabling our customers to do their business better because they know their business better.
It’s not our task to do their business; it’s enabling them. And I think that there’s so much opportunity and I still think we are just scratching the surface. By safety, reliability and cost — there is so much more — how a future could look like all this next day delivery and things like that. I think there are cool things to come.
Walter Grigg It’s a partnership, and collaboration is a requirement to sustain innovation, to make our to make our potential customers and our partners more effective in industry. Joanna, is there anything that you think we may be missed or anything in the frame of partnership and collaboration that you like to make sure we cover?
Joanna Buttler I think you all covered wonderfully, but I would say — not one entity or one person can do it alone. And I honestly, I love the collaborative aspect because we can do so much more if we work as partners and identify what our unique, individual strengths are. Bringing them together in the right way to really unleash a great product, transform our industry, and do good for society.
Walter Grigg Brian, any final thoughts?
Brian Stuelpner No, I would just echo what Joanna said, and I think events like this are also a great place to see that partnership in action. I’m glad we can get together. And I think there are many other, you know, capabilities being demonstrated here that as we look at across the ecosystem, the partnerships that we can have is really going to be a positive force for the future.
It’s not our task to do their business; it’s enabling them. And I think that there’s so much opportunity and I still think we are just scratching the surface. By safety, reliability and cost — there is so much more — how a future could look like all… I think there are cool things to come.
