Self-Driving Trucks

FMCSA Approves Exemption for Driverless Trucks

October 13 2026

FMCSA Approves Exemption for Driverless Trucks

TopMark Funding FMCSA, President, President Trump, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

At the start of the year, we wrote about how the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) denied an exemption for driverless trucks so that they would not have to place safety triangles on the road in case of an emergency. With that happening in early January, it was still under the authority of the Biden Administration. With a new policy, it seems the FMCSA has done a one-eighty, and are allowing Aurora Operations, Inc. and other driverless truck companies an exemption.

Teamsters Sues California DMV Over Autonomous Trucking Rules

August 10 2026

Teamsters Sues California DMV Over Autonomous Trucking Rules

TopMark Funding California, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

Another lawsuit in the greatest country on Earth? It must be a day ending with a “y.” In this case it is the Teamsters union suing the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) over approval for self-driving commercial trucks.

FMCSA Denies Exemption for Driverless Trucks

January 2 2025

FMCSA Denies Exemption for Driverless Trucks

TopMark Funding FMCSA, President Trump, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

One problem with the development of autonomous commercial vehicles that is often overlooked is things other than driving that a trucker may do as a part of his or her job. One such example was noticed by Waymo and Aurora, and as such they petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to allow the […]

Bureau of Industry and Security Proposes Foreign Component Ban

October 1 2024

Bureau of Industry and Security Proposes Foreign Component Ban

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

You may have heard recently in the news talks about potential tariffs, added costs to foreign goods to make them less capable of competing with their domestic counterparts, but what if the foreign goods were prohibited entirely? That is what the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) wants to do with […]

Who Owns the Driverless Truck

August 6 2024

Who Owns the Driverless Truck?

TopMark Funding Technology, Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks 0

The rise of subscription services online to ensure a steady stream of income for companies without needing to innovate, most notably with Adobe’s Photoshop opting to charge users a monthly fee, may just be coming to the autonomous trucking revolution before it even gets on the road.DetailsDon Burnette, founder and chief executive of Kodiak Robotics, […]

Autonomous Vehicles Bill in Kentucky Becomes Law

April 16 2024

Autonomous Vehicles Bill in Kentucky Becomes Law

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks 0

On April 5th, Governor Andy Beshear vetoed the “AN ACT relating to autonomous vehicles”, but the state House and Senate obtained enough votes each to override the veto, and as such the Bill to allow autonomous driving on Kentucky’s roadways will become a law.DetailsWhen Governor Beshear vetoed the Bill, he argued that there needed to […]

Fully Autonomous Truck Yard Operational in Texas

February 13 2024

Fully Autonomous Truck Yard Operational in Texas

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

ISEE, a technology company researching automatic driving for commercial vehicles, has announced that it is working with an unnamed Fortune 100 customer in Texas and has a fully autonomous truck yard operating. What are the implications?DetailsWith 1.7 million square feet and 750 different trucking bays, the facility is able to buzz with work day or […]

Some States Decry Autonomous Trucking Others Embrace It

January 10 2024

Some States Decry Autonomous Trucking, Others Embrace It

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

The Department of Transportation and the larger federal government as a whole have left the concept of autonomous vehicles, trucks included, to be a states rights issue. As a direct result, states have differing opinions on the up-and-coming technology.Texas Embraces ItTexas has had legislation on the books supporting autonomous trucking since 2017, but now it […]

California Governor Vetoes Autonomous Truck Ban

September 29 2023

California Governor Vetoes Autonomous Truck Ban

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

In a surprising move, California Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 316, which would require autonomous vehicles to have a capable driver on alert at all times, effectively making it no longer autonomous.DetailsWe wrote about this earlier in September 2023. The California government works a lot like the United States’ legislative branch, where if […]

California AB316 May Ban Autonomous Trucks

September 6 2023

California AB-316 May Ban Autonomous Trucks

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks 0

We still have a long way to go before commercial vehicles become fully autonomous and remove the human driver entirely from the equation, but that is not stopping California from getting ahead of the curve by…trying to limit it? Yes, the state normally known for technological innovation is now trying to legislate autonomous trucks away […]

Autonomous Truck Stop Opens in Georgia

August 23 2023

Autonomous Truck Stop Opens in Georgia

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology, Trucking Companies, Trucking News 0

Are you ready for the future? It is still numerous decades away, but that is not stopping Kodiak Robotics from forming a partnership with the Pilot Company to create a station that will support autonomous vehicles.DetailsThe new station is located on a standard truck stop in Villa Rica, Georgia. The planned uses for it include […]

California Driverless Truck Ban Goes to Senate

June 7 2023

California Driverless Truck Ban Goes to Senate

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks 0

On Wednesday June 5th, the California State Assembly passed legislation in a vote that, should it become law, prohibit vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds from lacking a human driver in the front seat. Now, it goes to the California Senate.DetailsThe reason for the two bans is twofold.The first is that the state does not […]

Level 4 Autonomous Trucking May Arrive Soon

June 1 2023

Level 4 Autonomous Trucking May Arrive Soon

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks 0

A long time ago, in an pre-COVID-19 era, we at TopMark Funding wrote about how we think autonomous trucks will not replace the human driver for well over a decade. While our opinion of that still remains very much true, it is still possible that level 4 autonomous trucking may just be around the corner.DetailsTuSimple […]

California Considers Driverless Truck Ban

April 27 2023

California Considers Driverless Truck Ban

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Trucking News 0

The most populated state in the nation, California always seems to be in the news when it comes to the trucking industry. Usually it involves regulations that make trucking harder, but depending on how you look at this one, it could easily be seen as something beneficial to drivers.DetailsCalifornia’s legislative system works similarly to the […]

Kodiak Creates Simple Solution to an Autonomous Problem

April 19 2023

Kodiak Creates Simple Solution to an Autonomous Problem

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

Before we start seeing fully autonomous trucks buzzing around on the nation’s highways, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of hurdles that the technology will have to overcome. One of them is the maintenance of the hardware systems that tell the self-driving truck where everything is. Kodiak Robotics, a startup trying to be the first […]

California Tests Light Autonomous Trucks Leaves Class 8 on Shelf

March 23 2023

California Tests Light Autonomous Trucks, Leaves Class 8 on Shelf

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

In many ways, TopMark Funding’s home state of California is ahead of the curve, such as with stringent engine bans. However, there is one area of interest that California is lagging behind upon when compared to other states such as Arizona and Texas, and that is that it currently forbids the testing of larger vehicles.DetailsThe […]

Avia Outlines Regulatory Reccomendations

March 17 2023

AVIA Outlines Regulatory Recommendations

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Trucking News 0

The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA), knowing that the federal government is going to regulate them eventually, has taken a proactive approach to its problem by outlining suggestions on what it thinks the government can do to help autonomous technology flourish while keeping people safe.DetailsYou can read the entire 12 page document at the relevant […]

Labor Unions Advocate in California Against Autonomous Vehicles

February 15 2023

Labor Unions Advocate in California Against Autonomous Vehicles

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Trucking News Unions 0

Autonomous trucks are still numerous decades away from fully replacing the human driver, but that has not stopped labor unions representing truckers in California from petitioning the state Legislature to put in regulations that protect California’s truckers from becoming displaced by the technology.Autonomous AutomobileCalifornia already has set rules in place regarding self-driving vehicles that weigh […]

What a truck of the future may look like: fully electric and fully autonomous.

February 7 2023

FMCSA Asks for Public Opinion on Autonomous Trucks

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, FMCSA, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Trucking News 0

Autonomous trucks are no doubt still far into the future, but that has not stopped the Federal Motor Safety Administration (FMCSA) from preparing to regulate them. They have announced a Supplemental Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SANPRM) where they request public feedback on how self-driving trucks should be regulated as they become more common.DetailsThe SANPRM […]

Kodiak Robotics Trains Autonomous Trucks for Emergencies

January 12 2023

Kodiak Robotics Trains Autonomous Trucks for Emergencies

TopMark Funding Commercial Trucking, Business, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

There are dozens upon dozens of different obstacles that autonomous trucking needs to overcome before it can become a reality and replace humans behind the wheel. One that is seldom talked about is what happens during a vehicle malfunction. A robotics start-up called Kodiak Robotics is hoping to program an autonomous truck that can handle […]

The_Longest_Trip_an_Autonomous_Truck_Has_Taken_As_of_2022

October 13 2022

The Longest Trip an Autonomous Truck Has Taken As of 2022

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks 0

It is no secret that autonomous trucking has come a long way in the past decade, but also that it has at least a decade of development still left to go. This demands the question as to how far along autonomous trucks have come now. What is the longest ongoing stretch of distance an autonomous […]

FMCSA_to_Research_Truckers_Using_Autonomous_Technology

September 27 2022

FMCSA to Research Truckers Using Autonomous Technology

TopMark Funding Self-Driving Trucks, Business, Commercial Trucking, FMCSA, Regulations, Trucking News 0

It is widely considered that the most dangerous part of a Class 8 truck is the driver behind the wheel. If he or she is not actively paying attention, catastrophic damage can occur. Autonomous trucking technology is slowly getting better, but long before trucks ever become fully automatic, they will become easier to handle but […]

CaliforniaTesla_Lawsuit_Sets_Autonomous_Trucking_Back_Slightly

August 24 2022

California-Tesla Lawsuit Sets Autonomous Trucking Back Slightly

TopMark Funding Business, California, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Tesla, Trucking News tesla 0

When you think of Tesla Motors, there are two features that you think about: the long range by electric vehicle standards, and the autonomous driving features. The California Department of Motor Vehicles is putting an ax to the latter.DetailsCalifornia’s DMV is suing Tesla Motors, filing with the Office of Administrative Hearings to say that Tesla […]

TuSimple_Goes_Public_Stock_for_Sale

April 26 2021

TuSimple Goes Public, Stock for Sale

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Financial news, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology, Trucking News 0

We have written about TuSimple a few times before. Now they are increasing the stakes of their plans for autonomous trucking by having an Initial Public Offering (IPO) and allowing people to take ownership in the company. The Details TuSimple had its IPO on April 15th, of which it raised about $1 billion in additional […]

FMCSA_to_Condusct_Anonymous_Opinion_Surveys

November 9 2020

FMCSA to Conduct Autonomous Truck Opinion Surveys

TopMark Funding FMCSA, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Semi-Trucks, Technology, Trucking News 0

Unless all the election news has pushed older information out of your brain, you may remember that the FMCSA spoke at an ATA virtual conference about many topics, one of which was working to make self-driving commercial vehicles as safe as possible. But beyond safety, there are many more uncertainties to autonomous trucks. Will they […]

The_Race_for_Level_4_Autonomous_Trucks

October 28 2020

The Race for Level 4 Autonomous Trucks

TopMark Funding Technology, Business, Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Trucking Companies, Trucking News Daimler, Freightliner, International, Navistar, Peterbilt 0

FMCSA_Denies_Longer_HoursofService_for_SelfDriving_Tech

September 30 2020

FMCSA Denies Longer Hours-of-Service for Self-Driving Tech

TopMark Funding FMCSA, Regulations, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology 0

In late April 2020, a tech company by the name of Pronto.ai petitioned the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, asking that its motor carrier customers get an additional two hours of driving each day thanks to the driving assistance their technology provides. You can probably tell from the title of this article where that petition […]

Waymo_Begins_Testing_Autonomous_Trucks_In_Texas

September 1 2020

Waymo Begins Testing Autonomous Trucks in Texas

TopMark Funding Business, Commercial Trucking, Dealers, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology, Trucking News 0

Alphabet Inc., known primarily for their Google search engine and YouTube video platform, has a subsidiary known as Waymo. Waymo has two wings, Waymo One for typical four-wheel driving of passenger vehicles, and Waymo Via, where they are testing the technology in 18-wheelers for long distance deliveries.Waymo is still a far way away from making […]

Netadryne_Records_1_Billion_Miles_for_Autonomous_Research

July 23 2020

Netadryne Records 1 Billion Miles for Autonomous Research

TopMark Funding Semi-Trucks, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology, Trucking News 0

We at TopMark Funding have written before about the obstacles stopping autonomous semi-trucks from becoming the norm. One of the largest was the problem we called “Dynamic Adaptation”: how current autonomous trucks work fine in open, well-maintained highways, but start to struggle when dealing with less optimal scenarios such as road hazards and city streets. […]

Portrait Of A Delivery Man Inside Self Driving Van

January 18 2020

Self Driving Semi-Trucks: When?

TopMark Funding Commercial Trucking, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology, Trucking News 0

In 2016, Uber delivered 50,000 cans of beer over 120 miles of highway without any driver intervention. But two years later, Uber closed down its self-driving semi-trucks division to focus on self-driving cars instead. The trucking profession is huge, over five percent of all American jobs are in truck transportation. When self-driving trucks progress far […]

Self-Driving Semi Trucks: Will Truckers Be Out of Their Jobs?

October 2 2019

Self-Driving Semi Trucks: Will Truckers Be Out of Their Jobs?

TopMark Funding Semi-Trucks, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology Self Driving Trucks, Tech 0

When you hear the words self-driving semi-truck or driverless trucks you might think you’re talking about the future. You’d very much be talking about the present because driverless semi-trucks are here. As an owner-operator or a truck driver, you’re probably wondering what that will mean for you. Is autonomous semi-trucks or self-driving semi-trucks going to […]

Why the Future of Driverless Trucks Aren’t Driverless

June 24 2019

Why the Future of Driverless Trucks Aren’t Driverless

TopMark Funding Technology, Self-Driving Trucks, Semi-Trucks Self Driving Trucks, Tech 0

People have been dreaming up the self-driving car since the 1920’s, with the first semi-automated car actually coming into the picture in 1977 in Japan. This car could go 19 miles per hour supported by an elevated rail, and needed to run on specially marked streets. From then to now in 2019, you have probably […]

Driver Assist Systems: Do They Always Work?

March 28 2019

Driver Assist Systems: Do They Always Work?

TopMark Funding Finance, Self-Driving Trucks 0

Operating a vehicle (especially a large semi truck) comes with a lot of responsibility. Often, the main focus for semi-truck drivers is ensuring safety while handling such heavy equipment. Watching blind spots, dealing wind pushing your possibly hazardous equipment, and little cars zipping around? It’s a dangerous place on the roads. Manufacturers are looking to […]

Trucking Forecasts in 2019 What to Expect

January 8 2019

Trucking Forecasts in 2019: What to Expect

TopMark Funding Trucking News, PACCAR, Self-Driving Trucks 0

The new year has arrived and 2019 is upon us. With an eventful year behind us, it’s safe to say that the upcoming twelve months have a lot in store. What does that mean for your business in the trucking industry? Here are the Trucking Forecasts in 2019. Stay on top of the trends. That […]

How Tesla’s Electric Semi is Affecting the Industry

November 26 2018

How Tesla’s Electric Semi is Affecting the Industry

TopMark Funding Semi-Trucks, Self-Driving Trucks, Technology Self Driving Trucks, Tech, Tesla Semi 0

You know Tesla as the sleek electric cars you see zipping around on the freeways. You know they’re state of the art, all-electric, and sometimes have doors that open upwards – falcon-wing doors. What you probably don’t think of when you think of Tesla is electric semi trucks. But Tesla has indeed rolled out all-electric […]