HOUSTON--()--Bot Auto, a pioneering autonomous trucking company today set forth its schedule to launch driver-out commercial freight operations in 2025. This milestone will initiate a full-scale pilot program with continuous autonomous trucking operations between Houston and San Antonio, positioning Bot Auto as a leader in autonomous truck technology.

The planned driver-out program will run for a minimum of 4 months, hauling real cargo for commercial shippers. This initiative represents the deployment phase of Bot Auto's development approach, where periods of deployment are followed by system upgrades based on operational learnings.

"The most predictable breakthroughs are the ones no one predicts," said Dr. Xiaodi Hou, Founder and CEO of Bot Auto. "2025 is going to be a big year. Look at what's unfolding across our industry so far: Kodiak demonstrating driver-out capabilities in the Permian Basin, Aurora timing their Driver-Out pilot program, FERNRIDE making strides in Europe, and now Bot Auto setting our schedule. To casual observers, this might seem like another wave of hype, but such synchronized predictions across players isn't orchestrated—it's the most organic forecast of genuine breakthrough. The hardware is ready. The software is ready. And this new dawn will illuminate our industry in 2025. We, Bot Auto, are committed to being in the first row."

"Since our successful hub-to-hub demonstration last October, our team has focused on building a reliable system with enhanced hardware and software redundancies," Dr. Hou added. "Safety is our top priority, we are working with the first responder community throughout Texas. We're taking a proactive approach, employing statistical methods to validate safety, documenting our internal processes, and planning to open-source safety-related datasets to promote transparency." Over the past months, Bot Auto has already actively engaged with local authorities and emergency services, working wholeheartedly to ensure safe operations on public roads.

The planned driver-out operations are a direct response to the market's critical need for increased transportation capacity. Bot Auto has achieved remarkable progress with a fraction of resources compared to the rest of the industry, demonstrating the company's practical approach to commercialization and its focus on profitability through technological innovation.

"Let me be clear—this driver-out program is not about showcasing technical capabilities. And, frankly, that was already demonstrated back in 2021," Dr. Hou emphasized. "What we're conducting is a real-world simulation.

This is about answering two fundamental questions that no virtual environment can resolve for us:

  1. Will our customers actually use our product?
  2. Can we make money from it?

These questions demand real trucks hauling real cargo on real roads."

"We're capturing essential operational intelligence here," Dr. Hou continued. "A precise catalog of operational challenges that emerge with fully driver-out trucks. This pilot isn't about proving what's possible; it's about uncovering what must be more efficient and economical. We'll implement the operational optimizations until our costs drop below human driver levels. That's the inflection point where autonomous trucking transitions from a technology promise to a profitable business. After all, at Bot Auto, getting things done isn't just what we do—it's who we are."

About Bot Auto

Bot Auto is an L4 autonomous trucking company offering Transportation as a Service (TaaS) through its AI-driven autonomous truck fleet. Founded by Dr. Xiaodi Hou, Bot Auto combines visionary leadership, top-tier engineering talent, and industry expertise to revolutionize the transportation industry. The company is making a lasting impact on the American supply chain with technology that creates new transportation capacity and seamlessly integrates with today's freight market, directly addressing the driver shortage while minimizing disruption during new technology adoption. Bot Auto is headquartered in Houston, Texas.