Self-drivingSelf-driving semi-truck
Torc driverless trucks
by Torc Robotics (Daimler Truck)
Torc Robotics, owned by Daimler Truck, is building self-driving software for big Freightliner Cascadia semi-trucks meant for long highway trips in the US. As of October 2026 its trucks were still being tested with a safety driver aboard. FreightWaves, 30 Sept 2026
- Evidence
- No customer evidence yet
- Human help
- Safety driver aboard
- Last milestone
- 24 Feb 2026
01Can I get it?
Not yet
- Where it works today
- Test trucks with a safety driver on public roads in Virginia, New Mexico and Texas (and Michigan since 2026). No paid driverless freight yet. Torc FAQ (company)
- Published price
- No published price in our sources.
- Human help
- Torc's test trucks on public roads still have a safety driver behind the wheel. Torc FAQ (company)
02Track record
What has actually happened
Every milestone is dated and links to the page it comes from. Lines marked company-reported rest on the maker's own word.
03Promised vs delivered
What the maker said, and when
Dated targets the maker set in public, against what has happened since.
- SaidSept 2026
No-driver trucks on public roads by end of 2026
Torc said it aims to run trucks on public roads with no safety driver before the end of 2026. FreightWaves, 30 Sept 2026
Still pendingNot yet reported as done as of mid-October 2026.
- SaidSept 2026
First paid driverless freight in 2027
Torc plans its first commercial freight runs in 2027 and to grow from 2028. FreightWaves, 30 Sept 2026
Still pending
04Safety and incidents
What has gone wrong
No crashes, recalls or regulator reports in our sources. That is not proof none happened; we add them when a regulator or trusted outlet reports one.
On video
What it looks like, at stage 1
Videos from the maker show the robot at its best. The stage comes from the dated record above, not from what a video shows.
Meet TorcDrive: The Software Powering Autonomous Trucking
The Torc Playlist- Meet Travis, Vehicle Reliability Manager
How TorcDrive Learns From Every Mile
BTS Beating the Heat at Torc's Blacksburg HQ
The Torc Playlist- Grant, Product Strategy Manager
How Autonomous Trucks Actually Make Decisions | Inside Torc's AV 3.0How we placed it
The rule, not an opinion
Stages are worked out by published rules from the dated milestones above. We never rate robots, and no maker can pay to change a stage.
- 5
Regulator-cleared or mass market
A regulator has cleared it where approval applies: FDA clearance or approval for a medical robot, a permit to run with no one aboard for a self-driving vehicle, or an FAA approval for routine drone flights. Or: Widely sold: sales in the hundreds of thousands, or a product category you can buy in ordinary shops.
- 4
Paying customers
Delivered to customers who pay for it, beyond a trial, or a paid service the public can use.
- 3
Pilot
Working with a named customer in a real setting, as a trial.
- 2
Pre-orders
Orders, reservations or deposits taken, with nothing delivered yet.
- 1
Demo onlyThis robot
Shown in videos, staged events or a factory, with no units working for customers.
No pre-order, pilot, paying customer or clearance is on record yet.
What we couldn't confirm. Earlier (2024) Torc talked of removing drivers in Texas in late 2026; we could not confirm any driverless public-road run as of 19 Oct 2026.
Sources
- 01FreightWaves, 30 Sept 2026
- 02Torc FAQ (company)
- 03Trucking Dive, 4 Mar 2026
- 04Torc press release, 2 Dec 2025
- 05Trucking Dive, 29 May 2025
- 06Torc press release, 4 Nov 2024
- 07TechCrunch, 29 Mar 2019
Cite this page
Robotics Verdict. “Torc driverless trucks (Torc Robotics (Daimler Truck)): how far has it got?” roboticsverdict.com/robots/torc-robotics. Checked 19 October 2026.
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