Self-driving 18-wheelers are coming to Texas highways soon. Here's what we know

Picture this: You're driving along a highway near an 18-wheeler, and you happen to peer into the cab. But you find no driver, no one even inside the vehicle.

It could become a reality as soon as this year. Here's what we know.

Self-driving semis coming to Texas

Pittsburg-based Aurora Innovation Inc. plans to begin rolling out its self-driving semis later in the year. The vehicles are equipped with 25 laser, radar and camera sensors.

The company will haul freight along Interstate 45 between the Dallas and Houston areas. Texas highways are typically free of snow and ice, making them desirable for initial implementation.

The vehicles will transport loads between terminals for FedEx, Uber Freight, Werner and others, according to CBS News Texas.

In a few more years, these self-driving 18-wheelers may number in the thousands as Aurora and similar companies put more on public freeways.

More on self-driving vehicles: Driverless startup Waymo to test self-driving vehicles with no human driver in Austin

Benefits of self-driving semis

The successful implementation of self-driving tractor-trailers stands to make the transportation of goods more efficient. Such vehicles eliminate the need for breaks and can therefore travel for longer periods of time, cutting down delivery times. According to Aurora's site, they are only required to stop for fueling, loading and maintenance.

Aurora also reports its products can bring loads from Los Angeles to Dallas in under 24 hours.

The company also claims its self-driving 18-wheelers are safer than human drivers, who may get tired, distracted or otherwise impaired. The vehicles' sensors can also pick up visuals farther than the human eye can see − over a quarter-mile away.

"We want to be out there with thousands or tens of thousands of trucks on the road," said Aurora CEO Chris Urmson. "And to do that, we have to be safe. It's the only way that the public will accept it. Frankly, it's the only way our customers will accept it."

Risks of self-driving semis

An AAA survey conducted in March revealed most U.S. drivers had negative emotions regarding autonomous vehicles: 66% expressed fear, and 25% were concerned.

Safety advocates are weary of the largely unregulated industry of autonomous vehicles. Instead, companies like Aurora must be trusted to determine if their vehicles are safe to travel on public roads.

On test tracks, Aurora's self-driving semis were able to avoid road obstacles such as people, a blown tire and a horse. However, the vehicles in such tests only traveled 35 miles per hour in a controlled environment, raising concerns about how speed and unexpected elements might affect them.

The severity of accidents involving tractor-trailers driven by humans is already a cause for concern. Loads carrying hundreds of thousands of pounds in freight, combined with high speeds, can easily prove fatal in crashes.

People are also reading: 2 dead, 1 hurt after 350,000-pound load detaches from 18-wheeler and pins vehicle in Texas

While self-driving semis may address the current truck driver shortage, some in the industry fear they will eliminate all need for truck drivers. This follows a larger trend of concern that technology is taking jobs away from human employees.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Aurora to put self-driving 18-wheelers on roads, starting in Texas