Autonomous trucking software developer TuSimple successfully traveled nearly 39 miles on an open public road in China, safely navigating normal traffic. The truck had no human occupant or outside help, the company said.

The driverless run covered designated public roads approved by the Shanghai government. They included the Yangshan Deep-water Port Logistics Park and the Donghai Bridge. TuSimple said last week it had been awarded a fully driverless test license by the Pudong New Area of Shanghai. 

During the test, TuSimple China’s autonomous truck navigated complex urban roads and highways within the port area. That included traffic signals, on-ramps, off-ramps, lane changes, emergency lane vehicles, partial lane closures, fog and crosswinds. 

A safety vehicle followed the autonomous truck but did not interfere with the operation. The company worked with government regulators and law enforcement.

TuSimple took 2 years to prepare driverless operation

TuSimple China worked for more than two years to demonstrate the high-autonomy operation consistent with the SAE Level 4 definition. The company emphasized redundancy, reliability and stability to prepare for the driverless operation.

“Being the first to conduct a driver-out run in China is a significant milestone,” Cheng Lu, president and CEO of TuSimple, said in a news release late Thursday.

“Following on from our successful driver-out run in the United States in 2021, this accomplishment marks another pivotal breakthrough for TuSimple and further underscores our leadership in the autonomous driving industry.”

Rival Plus completed a 20-mile driverless run in China in late June 2021. It traveled the newly built Wufengshan highway in China’s Jiangsu Province near Shanghai that was not open to the public.

TuSimple is planning a driverless commercial run between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, next year on the same portion of Interstate 10 it piloted with no human in the cab in December 2021.

When it laid off 300 mostly U.S. employees in May, TuSimple reversed a plan to sell or spin off its China operations. It also has announced plans for driverless testing in Japan.

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