The global rise of autonomous trucks and last-mile delivery

Level 4 transportation‑as‑a‑service (TaaS) is moving beyond concept into real‑world deployment at an unprecedented pace. More than 40 companies are actively advancing autonomous trucks and last‑mile delivery solutions, with pilots scaling across Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America. Unlike urban robotaxi operations, freight autonomy benefits from predictable, structured routes, making highways and controlled zones ideal for rollout. 

An automotive industry analysis of Level 4 TaaS announcements over the past year shows how significantly the autonomous trucks market is accelerating. Pilots are growing longer, test corridors are expanding and early commercial services are already running in China, Europe, Japan, the Middle East and the US. 

Unlike robotaxis, which must solve for dense, unpredictable city environments, autonomous trucks operate in more structured, repeatable conditions. Long‑haul freight corridors such as Texas’s I‑45, Arizona’s I‑10 and key German Autobahn segments offer the volume, stability and business case needed for Level 4 deployment. That’s why companies like Aurora, Einride, Gatik, Kodiak Robotics, TuSimple 2.0 and Waabi are pulling ahead. 

In the US, Aurora officially announced the start of its commercial autonomous trucking service between Dallas and Houston in May 2025, following the closure of its safety case and years of supervised testing. This milestone made Aurora the first company to operate a fully driverless Class 8 trucking service on public roads in the US. Aurora plans to expand its driverless service to El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix, Arizona, by the end of 2025.

Earlier this week SANY Group announced that the fourth-generation autonomous heavy-duty truck co-developed with Pony.ai is nearing mass-production readiness. Regarding operational efficiency it said the “1+4” autonomous platooning solution (one manned lead truck followed by four unmanned trucks), based on pilot estimations, can reduce per-kilometer freight costs by 29% and increase operating profit by 195%.

In the US, more than 20 states permit autonomous trucking operations, but 2025 marked a shift toward harmonization and heavy‑duty deployment clarity. California DMV issued revised proposed regulations that would, for the first time, allow testing and eventual deployment of heavy autonomous trucks, with public comments due by Dec. 18, 2025. 

In Washington, the AMERICA DRIVES Act would create a federal framework for Level 4/5 trucks, align with SAE definitions, authorize driverless interstate operations and exempt fully autonomous trucks from human‑specific rules (e.g., hours‑of‑service, drug testing)—while the Autonomous Vehicle Acceleration Act of 2025, introduced in the US Senate on May 15, 2025, seeks a broader US Department of Transportation roadmap for driverless certification. Additionally, Texas added permits and first‑responder planning under SB 2807 and considered HB 4402 to require a trained human operator in autonomous trucks. 

In Europe, the pathway is slower but more standardized. Germany’s L4 law enabled ATLAS‑L4 public‑road testing of autonomous trucks. FERNRIDE secured TÜV SÜD certification for autonomous terminal tractors and approval to transition to driverless yard operations in Estonia, tightening the bridge between private‑site automation and public‑road readiness. At the EU level, Regulation (EU) 2025/14 clarifies the approval/market surveillance of certain autonomous non‑road machinery traveling on roads (relevant for logistics ecosystems). 

In mainland China, the government‑backed smart‑highway programs and corridor pilots continued to expand in 2025. Pony.ai became the first firm approved for cross‑provincial expressway platooning with autonomous follower trucks, while China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s 2025 guidance tightened marketing and beta‑testing practices for higher‑automation features—important for consistent labeling and consumer safety.  

The road ahead for Level 4 TaaS is both promising and complex. The biggest hurdle remains regulatory fragmentation—California’s 2025 proposal for heavy-duty autonomous vehicle permits is a breakthrough, but without a federal framework like the AMERICA DRIVES Act, seamless interstate operations for autonomous trucks will stay elusive. Public trust and emergency response integration are equally critical. Texas’s recent first-responder protocols highlight how confidence-building measures must scale alongside technology. Europe’s progress with TÜV-certified yard tractors shows that bridging private terminals and public roads is the next operational frontier.

Yet, the opportunities are compelling. Hub-to-hub trucking in structured Sun Belt corridors of the US is emerging as autonomy’s sweet spot, with pay-per-mile service models and next-gen hardware promising dramatic cost reductions. Europe is likely to continue to expand yard and port autonomy while cautiously introducing highway pilots under national approvals. China is poised to scale smart-highway platoons toward fully driverless convoys, and Japan and Korea will push last-mile delivery robots and mixed fleets in controlled districts, with Korea targeting Level 4 by 2027. Meanwhile, the Middle East will leverage smart-city strategies to fast-track logistics and ride-hailing pilots. These developments provide valuable insights for the broader automotive industry forecast, showing which autonomous trucking and last-mile delivery solutions are likely to scale in the near term. 

In short, the next three years will define whether Level 4 autonomous trucks transition from niche deployments to a global freight backbone. How quickly autonomous trucks and last-mile delivery service expand will determine whether they become core components of the future of mobility.