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.
