Aurora said on Thursday that it has collaborated with MCLEOD software to develop the first integration of the industry between autonomous trucks and a main transportation management system. This partnership aims to simplify the adopting autonomous vehicles for carriers through software integration. This integration connects the Aurora program directly to the TMS MCLEOD platform, allowing carriers to manage autonomous trucks alongside their traditional fleet.
This integration supports fleet management functions, including load planning, dispatch, vision and billing. One goal is to create an integrated operational experience for participants who adopt autonomous technology.
“We want this to be a plugin for customers. They want to get this truck that guides themselves, and we want to show the way they use trucks on their network today,” said Zac Androni, Vice President of Trade Development in Aurora. “So we want to meet our customers where they are.”
While the Aurora has collaborated with some of the industry’s largest carriers, the merger specifically targets the middle fleet, which usually rely on McLod TMs. These carriers work between 100 and 1,000 trucks, showing a significant market segment that has previously faced obstacles to autonomous technology.
“For McLod, this allows them to help their carriers if you choose this new technology,” said Androni. “For us, McLod is a company that has more than 1,000 customers. It is a great way for us to arrange the joint market or use them as a sales channel.”
This merger deals with unique operational challenges for autonomous transport networks, such as managing terminal movements to the terminal and coordinating the first miles and the last mile with human drivers. The company also provides financial vision tools effectively to the carriers to calculate and compare the costs between autonomous and traditional transport transport operations.
“The integration of the Aurora’s autonomous capabilities into our TMS platform provides a path to adopt autonomous tractors in its operation,” said Tom McLod, founder and CEO of MCleod software. “This collaboration emphasizes that our sacrifice in providing advanced technology to customers allows them to optimize their performance and embrace innovation with confidence.”
Aurora shows the merger at the MCleod user conference on September 21-23, where interested companies can find out more about technology implementation in their existing operations.
Beta testing is underway and plans to go to more than 1,200 McLod customers in 2026.
The movements come as the Aurora recently reported on a night -time driverless operation and the expansion of its operation from Texas to Arizona.
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