Berkshire’s McLane to Launch Driverless Freight Runs Across the Sun Belt

CNBC reported Wednesday that Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary McLane is preparing to roll out autonomous freight trucking on commercial routes across the U.S. Sun Belt before the end of 2026. The Berkshire unit is partnering with self-driving technology firm Aurora Innovation for the expansion.

From Pilot to Full Deployment

McLane and Aurora first began testing autonomous freight trucking together in 2023. That supervised pilot logged roughly 280,000 miles across Texas and completed around 1,400 restaurant deliveries. The trucks made two round-trip runs daily between Dallas and Houston, seven days a week.

Now the companies are moving beyond supervised testing. McLane has formally approved fully driverless operations on the Dallas-Houston corridor. New Sun Belt routes connecting McLane distribution centers are also planned for later this year.

The autonomous freight trucking focus covers what logistics firms call the “middle mile.” That segment connects large distribution hubs to local last-mile delivery points, where human drivers still handle final drop-offs. Automating the middle mile is a priority for distribution networks including Amazon.

What Changes on Driverless Runs

Under the approved driverless setup, an observer still rides in the cab on certain routes. That requirement comes from truck manufacturer Paccar, which asked Aurora to maintain human presence for now. Critically, the observer never touches the controls. Aurora’s software handles all driving tasks, including any emergency pullover decisions.

Aurora is separately preparing a new fleet of trucks built by Volkswagen subsidiary International, which will carry no observers at all. Around 200 of those vehicles are expected to be operational by year-end. Aurora declined to confirm whether McLane intends to adopt that fleet.

McLane’s Scale Inside Berkshire

Temple, Texas-based McLane operates more than 80 distribution centers and reaches nearly every U.S. ZIP code. The company employs around 25,000 people. Its client list spans chain restaurants, convenience stores, and mass merchants.

Walmart was once McLane’s parent company before selling the business to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 2003 for roughly $1.5 billion. McLane president of restaurant operations Susan Adzick said in a statement that the autonomous technology improves supply-chain efficiency while keeping human drivers focused on customer-facing last-mile delivery.

A Wider Industry Shift

Texas has become the central proving ground for autonomous freight companies broadly, drawn by flat terrain, favorable weather, and light regulation. McLane is currently Aurora’s only commercial distribution partner, though both firms said the relationship is expected to grow into new customer segments in coming months.

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