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The road to autonomous trucking is long and littered with obstacles, but developers of self-driving systems for commercial vehicles are making clear and tangible progress in their mission to bring this technology to market.

While most developers of Level 4 autonomous truck technology are targeting driverless operation, some see near-term business cases for highly automated, self-driving trucks with a driver still in the vehicle.

Autonomous truck developer TuSimple raised $1.35 billion through its initial public offering, a move that will help fund the company’s push to commercialize self-driving trucks and expand its autonomous freight network across the United States.

Transport Topics has produced an annual ranking of the largest companies in this dynamic segment of the transportation business for nearly two decades, but much like the industry itself, this list continues to evolve.

Autonomous vehicle developer Waymo offered a look inside the day-to-day testing of its self-driving trucks on public roads through a virtual ride-along event for members of the press.

Self-driving truck developer TuSimple is moving forward with plans to become a publicly traded company.

Consolidation has dramat­ically reshaped trucking’s technology market over the past decade, with dozens of software and telematics companies joining forces to create larger organizations with expanded capabilities and broader reach.

Motor carriers and logistics providers have been applying the latest technologies to help solve old challenges, such as driver recruiting and retention, regulatory compliance and moving freight more efficiently while ensuring highway safety.

Roger Nielsen’s four years as CEO of Daimler Trucks North America coincided with a time of rapid change in the commercial vehicle industry, highlighted by the introduction of electric-powered trucks and the continued advance of automated driving and connected vehicle technologies.

Recent advances in electric-­vehicle technology and the broader movement to reduce carbon emissions are creating market conditions that are increasingly favorable for electrification.