Skip to main content

Interstate 45: the Country’s Driverless-Trucking Testing Grounds

Published Jan 10, 2022 by David Ruiz

Houston Skyline + Freeway

North Houston Interstate 45

The stretch of Interstate 45 between Houston and Dallas is becoming a testing ground for driverless 18-wheelers. These big rigs are driving themselves between destinations hundreds of miles apart, positioning the Houston-Dallas corridor as a pivotal setting in the country’s automated vehicle revolution.

In September, autonomous vehicle (AV) company Aurora announced a partnership with FedEx and PACCAR to lead their driverless testing. These innovative medium-haul trips are mostly conducted by Aurora’s software, and safety drivers will remain in the trucks into late 2023. 

VP of Government Relations and Public Affairs Gerardo Interiano said Texas is the ideal testing ground for Aurora’s trucking service. “Trucking is the backbone of our economy, and Texas moves more goods by truck than any other state,” Interiano said. According to the 2017 U.S. Census, Texas ranked No. 1 in total weight of truck shipments with 1.3 billion tons of goods, establishing its superiority with a 719.4 million-ton margin from runner-up California.

Interiano also complimented Texas’ culture of innovation. “It’s a welcoming state for new technologies, which is advantageous as we refine and deploy our technology and service with a trusted transportation company like FedEx,” he said. 

In November, autonomous driving tech development company Waymo expanded their partnership with shipping giant UPS to test driverless freight trucks along the I-45 stretch. 

Product Manager at Waymo Pablo Abad said the state laws supporting driverless vehicles help the commercialization in Texas. “Whenever we go to a particular market or think about implementing the Waymo driver, we have to look at the regulations to see how favorably they view autonomous tech,” Abad told the Houston Chronicle. “Texas has been very helpful on that side.” 

The Partnership supported legislation related to AV operations during the 87th Legislative Session. 

Amid the autonomous big rig competition, other AV companies have also announced expansions into the Houston market. Google-backed Nuro, an active member of the Partnership’s Policy Committee, announced an expansion in November, while San Francisco-based Embark Trucks announced their Houston expansion in December. 

The AV competition grants Texas a front row seat to the continuing development of autonomous tech, bolstering Houston’s position as an innovation hub. 

Learn more about Houston’s innovation ecosystem and what makes the region a great place for business.

Related News

Digital Technology

Radix and Celanese Partnership Leverages AI to Harness the Power of Industrial Data

2/6/25
[PRESS RELEASE Provided by Radix] HOUSTON, Jan. 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Radix, a global technology solutions company at the forefront of industrial digital transformation, and Celanese, a global chemical and specialty material company, are proud to collaborate with Cognite, the global leader in data and AI for industry, on the development of JO.AI, a groundbreaking generative AI-powered solution designed to revolutionize operations in asset-intensive industries. Born from the successful development and implementation at Celanese by Radix through their engineering intelligence expertise – and powered by Cognite Data Fusion®, the market-leading DataOps and AI platform for enterprise-scale, complex industrial data management projects – JO.AI is poised to redefine how industrial manufacturers leverage data for enhanced productivity and operational excellence at scale. JO.AI will be showcased at the upcoming ARC Industry Leadership Forum 2025 taking place in Orlando, Florida, from February 10-13 under the theme "On the Ground: Accelerate. Optimize. Scale." Radix will showcase and discuss how the powerful industrial solution is optimizing the future of smart digital manufacturing, directly addressing the challenges faced across industries such as Energy, Chemical, Manufacturing, Oil & Gas, Power Generation & Distribution, Pulp & Paper, and Metals, Mining & Minerals. Industrial manufacturers often struggle to unlock the full potential of their data, even with the presence of data aggregators. JO.AI solves this problem by acting as an advanced Industrial Copilot, enabling intuitive, natural language interaction with the Industrial Knowledge Graph provided by Cognite Data Fusion® to make complex data easier to access and action into intelligence tailored specifically for the process industry. JO.AI leverages Cognite Data Fusion’s unmatched data management and comprehensive AI infrastructure to enable the Gen AI application to carry out more complex operations with greater accuracy. With Cognite Data Fusion® as its backbone, JO.AI combines operational insights with pre-trained AI agents focused on specific process use cases. "AI has proven to be a valuable business catalyst in today’s dynamic manufacturing landscape, offering unparalleled opportunities for optimization and innovation," said Sameer Purao, Senior Vice President and CIO at Celanese. "We developed JO.AI – in collaboration with Radix, on top of the robust data foundation provided by Cognite Data Fusion® – to harness the power of AI to improve efficiency, reduce costs and elevate overall productivity. Additionally, AI enables smart production through real-time data analysis, facilitating data-driven decisions, process optimization and swift response to market demand. Incorporating AI into our manufacturing operations is not just a technological advancement, but also a competitive advantage." "Digital transformation, especially with AI-powered solutions, is only as strong as the data foundation it’s built upon," said Bill Hendricks, President of Cognite Americas. "Cognite accelerates time-to-value by enabling seamless integration and management of complex industrial data, providing the essential infrastructure for innovative applications like JO.AI. Working alongside a forward-thinking partner like Radix, who shares our commitment to pushing the boundaries of industrial innovation, we empower organizations to unlock unprecedented value from their data and drive real operational impact." JO.AI empowers operators and engineers in four key areas: 1. Optimized Operator Rounds: JO.AI provides insights that ensure operations teams are focusing their rounds on the right checklists. 2. Data-Driven Checklist Management: It recommends the optimal frequency of checklist items, identifies areas with high-volume issues, and highlights deviations. 3. Balanced Workload: JO.AI helps ensure that the checklist workload is appropriate for each shift. 4. Streamlined Maintenance: The solution facilitates maintenance and work notification opportunities, recommending resource plans and even assisting operators in writing work orders. "JO.AI represents a significant leap forward in the application of AI for industrial settings and asset intensive industries," said Alex Clausbruch, CEO of Radix North America. "By combining Radix's expertise in AI and software development with Celanese's deep industry knowledge, we've created a solution that not only addresses the current challenges of data utilization but also unlocks new levels of efficiency and optimization. We believe JO.AI will be a game-changer for asset-intensive industries." "The development of JO.AI is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation," added Justin Conroy, Vice President, Digital Product Portfolio at Radix. "We've worked closely with Celanese to ensure that JO.AI meets the specific needs of industrial operators worldwide. This solution is not just about technology; it's about empowering people and teams with the insights they need to make better decisions and drive real business value." Radix will be participating as a Gold Sponsor at the ARC Leadership Forum 2025 in Orlando next month with several opportunities to engage with industry leaders, customers, partners and learn more about JO.AI and its capabilities. About Radix Founded in 2010, Radix is a privately held global technology solutions company providing consulting, engineering, operations technology, and data and software technology solutions. Radix combines key capabilities and practices to empower customers to thrive along their digital transformation journey. Radix provides technology-based, data-driven solutions to industrial and non-industrial companies worldwide. Radix has experience leading projects in more than 30 countries and has more than 1,700+ employees around the globe, with North American headquarters in Houston, Texas, main headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, additional offices in Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte, and a presence in Singapore and Amsterdam. To learn more, visit www.radixeng.com. About Celanese Celanese is a global leader in chemistry, producing specialty material solutions used across most major industries and consumer applications. Our businesses use our chemistry, technology and commercial expertise to create value for our customers, employees and shareholders. We are committed to sustainability by responsibly managing the materials we create for their entire lifecycle and are growing our portfolio of sustainable products to meet increasing customer and societal demand. We strive to make a positive impact in our communities and to foster inclusivity across our teams. Celanese is a Fortune 500 company that employs approximately 12,400 employees worldwide with 2023 net sales of $10.9 billion. About Cognite Cognite makes Generative AI work for industry. Leading energy, manufacturing, and power & renewables enterprises choose Cognite to deliver secure, trustworthy, and real-time data to transform their asset-heavy operations to be safer, more sustainable, and more profitable. Cognite provides a user-friendly, secure, and scalable platform that makes it easy for all decision-makers, from the field to remote operations centers, to access and understand complex industrial data, collaborate in real time, and build a better tomorrow. Visit us at www.cognite.ai and follow us on LinkedIn and X.
Read More
Construction

Construction Tech Pioneer Mercator.ai Launches AI- Powered Business Development Platform in Houston's $25B Commercial Construction Market

12/6/24
[PRESS RELEASE] Construction projects are won through relationships, 65% of business developers' time is spent searching for leads. Mercator.ai brings its visionary AI business development platform to Houston, flipping that equation for Texas's largest construction market.   HOUSTON, TX (December 2024) -- Mercator.ai, the leading AI-powered business development platform for commercial construction, announced its expansion into the Houston market. This strategic move follows the company's successful launch in Austin earlier this year and marks another milestone in Mercator's ambitious Texas growth strategy.   Houston's robust commercial construction sector, a cornerstone of Texas's $22.3 billion construction industry, represents a strategic growth opportunity for Mercator.ai's innovative construction technology platform. The expansion enables Houston-based general contractors, subcontractors, and construction service providers to access real-time insight into upcoming project opportunities earlier than ever before.    "Houston's sprawling growth and increasing competitive landscape make it ripe for innovation and the perfect next step in our Texas expansion," said Chloe Smith, CEO & Co-founder of Mercator.ai. "Our platform transforms how construction professionals discover and qualify new projects, reducing weeks of business development research into minutes and enabling teams to start building mutually profitable relationships at the earliest possible project stage."   The platform's expansion into Houston includes:  Access to relationship mapping and contact information for key project stakeholders Complete coverage of private and public commercial and industrial construction projects across the City of Houston Real-time monitoring of early project signals including land and real estate transactions, permitting, and development proposals Houston construction firms using Mercator.ai gain measurable advantages in project pursuit efficiency. Early adopters report reduction in pursuit research time by over 50%, and increase in lead identification - identifying five times as many qualified opportunities in the same time traditionally spent in a single networking meeting. The platform's early project detection capabilities are especially valuable in Houston's fast-moving market, where being first to the opportunity often means a higher probability of winning the work.   Mercator.ai's expansion into Houston builds on the company's growing Texas presence, with plans to actively participate in key industry events and construction community initiatives throughout 2024 and 2025. The company will maintain its commitment to relationship-based business development while providing contractors with the digital tools to enhance their project and relationship intelligence.   "Houston's construction community is known for innovation and relationship-building," said Chloe Smith, CEO of Mercator.ai. "We're excited to offer Houston contractors a 7-day free trial of our platform, allowing teams to experience firsthand how early project detection can optimize their most limited resource - time."   General contractors and construction professionals interested in exploring Mercator's early project detection platform can visit www.mercator.ai to start their free trial.   About Mercator.ai  Mercator.ai is an AI-powered relationship-based business development software for General Contractors, Sub-Contractors, Suppliers, and Construction Service Providers. It is the fastest and most accurate way to find early, viable construction opportunities. From commercial to industrial projects, Mercator.ai provides 100% coverage of public and private opportunities from concept to completion in real-time. Empower your teams with real-time insights to develop targeted business development strategies in less time. 
Read More

Related Events

Digital Technology

Houston’s AI-Driven Data Center Boom: Investment, Innovation, and Policy

As Houston rapidly evolves into a hub for AI, cloud computing, and data infrastructure, the city is experiencing a surge in data center investments driven by its unique position at the intersection of energy,…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners