The Future of Long-Haul Trucking Is Already on China’s Roads
China is one of the global frontrunners in the development of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) technology. These systems are now being used by most of China’s biggest logistics companies across 85 percent of China’s highways, including SF Express and YTO Express, plus international brands like Budweiser and Nestlé. Bloomberg’s Chief North Asia Correspondent Stephen Engle hitched a ride with an ADAS truck driver to report more on trucking logistics.
While robotaxis grab headlines, the real revolution is happening on 18 wheels. In the US and Europe, companies like Aurora, Waabi, and Fernride are testing autonomous trucks that could make freight faster, safer, and cheaper — but they’re also forcing a reckoning over regulation, jobs, and the future of driving itself.
The Quiet Race to Build Self-Driving Trucks in the US and Europe
Truck driving used to be a solid middle-class job. Not anymore. Driverless trucks just hit the highway in Texas. It’s displacing truck drivers. And truckers warn, “your job could be next.”
We Chased Driverless Trucks In Texas. What We Saw Will Scare You.
Unlike most “prototype” robots we see in tech demos, NEO is actually being positioned as a consumer household assistant. It can handle real chores — folding laundry, loading dishes, picking up objects, organizing items around the house — and when its battery runs low, it can return to its charging station by itself.
The wild part: if the robot doesn’t know how to handle a situation, a human operator can take over remotely via Expert Mode, meaning the robot can learn and improve over time. The goal is a robot that eventually becomes fully autonomous.
The company has opened pre-orders:
roughly $20,000 or $499/month subscription
deliveries planned for 2026
The article frames NEO as the first step toward having robotic “helpers” in regular homes — not just in labs.