Torc Robotics starts 2025 with revamped strategy(Photo: Torc Robotics)Virginia-based Torc Robotics, an independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, is entering 2025 with a revamped growth strategy focused on building out an autonomous hub in Texas while expanding its software footprint in Michigan. The expansion did come with a cost, namely the loss of the original testing location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and its technology hub in Stuttgart, Germany, which are winding down during the first half of 2025. Andrew Culhane, chief commercial officer at Torc Robotics, said in the release: “The Albuquerque and Stuttgart locations were critical for our development phases, as we tested on New Mexico highways and developed specifications for our product in Stuttgart. As we shift focus to testing on our launch lane from DFW to Laredo and developing a world-class team, we need to locate our resources in the areas that align with our future plans and lay the foundation for scaling the business to our customers’ needs,”The company also recently announced it had signed a leasing agreement for a facility that will serve as Torc’s autonomous truck hub in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. This location is part of Torc’s autonomous testing and customer freight pilots, ahead of plans for full commercialization in 2027.One reason Dallas-Forth Worth was chosen was its proximity to Laredo, Texas, a major freight route located along Interstate 35. The release notes, “Laredo is the largest economic port of entry in the US, with more than 15,000 truck crossings per day and $320B in total trade last year, opening up a prime opportunity for Torc’s growth.”Part of the expansion comes from a recent milestone last October, when Torc Robotics successfully completed a test of its autonomous truck without a driver in a multilane closed course. The test operated at speeds up to 65 mph with a Daimler Truck Freightliner Cascadia.Amazon goes Old World for new electric trucks(Photo: Mercedes-Benz Trucks/Amazon)Amazon recently placed an order for 200 new eActros600 trucks from Mercedes-Benz Trucks, adding to the 38 electric heavy goods vehicles (eHGVs) in operation in Europe

Torc started 2025 - its 20th anniversary year - in a big way, by making a splash at CES in Las Vegas, January 7-10, 2025.

Torc is preparing to launch a commercial AV lane from Dallas-Fort Worth to Laredo, Texas, as early as 2026 and recalibrating where its workforce is based.