Manufacturing Technology
Aurora-McLeod's Self-Driving Truck System, VW-Amazon's Cloud Extension & More
Updated on Fri, Aug 29, 2025
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It wasn’t long ago that autonomous mobility company Aurora was in final preparations to launch its commercial self-driving trucking service in Texas—an idea that came with the motivation to help truckers avoid harsh and inclement weather.
Not only did the company begin these services at the start of May, but it also started night deliveries with its driverless trucks—which also came with the opening of a new terminal in Phoenix—all before July ended and having surpassed 20,000 autonomous miles.
Now, the company is taking autonomous trucking to the next level.
Through a news release published on its website, Aurora announced a strategic partnership with McLeod Software, a leading provider of transportation management solutions, that would see the two companies create the industry’s first Transportation Management System (TMS) for autonomous trucks.
McLeod Software’s TMS is used by over 1,200 customers, courtesy of its advanced tools for scheduling, dispatching, billing, and more.
An API integration to Aurora’s technology will offer customers access to a robust and easy-to-use platform with enhanced real-time visibility into autonomous operations, bringing efficiency for carriers interested in moving goods through Aurora’s self-driving trucks.
“Our partnership with McLeod marks a key next step in delivering a premium, customer-centric product and service,” said Ossa Fisher, President at Aurora. “By meeting customers where they are within their existing TMS, we're making it easy for them to tap into the safety and efficiency benefits of autonomous trucks.”
The idea is to enable a superior and seamless user experience and easy management of critical processes—such as load tender and acceptance of autonomous shipments, dispatch, and load visibility—for customers of both companies and other customers using Aurora’s autonomous trucks, as well as boost the industry adoption of self-driving trucking technology.
“Integrating Aurora's autonomous capabilities into our TMS platform provides our customers with a pathway to adopt Autonomous Tractors within their operations,” said Tom McLeod, Founder and CEO of McLeod Software. “This collaboration underscores our dedication to providing cutting-edge technology for our customers, empowering them to optimize their operations and embrace innovation with confidence.”
The move will also allow both companies to grow their customer base, leveraging each other’s roster of customers.
Digital transformation has become a central figure in the automobile industry—and automakers are even trying to infuse advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into vehicles, while other applications enhance backend and factory processes.
However, to deliver such experiences—while dreaming of a connected car future—it’s crucial to have a capable cloud companion.
For Volkswagen Group, there’s no one better than Amazon Web Services, which is why VW announced it is extending its collaboration with AWS for another five years, as it looks to transform its vehicle production for an AI-powered future.
The move means that the two will continue to collaborate on VW’s Digital Production Platform (DPP)—its “factory cloud”—which is designed to support automotive manufacturing.
VW’s DPP allows the automaker to deploy AI and cutting-edge IT systems across its global production sites, which currently connects 43 sites in Europe, North America, and South America.
The extension will allow VW to enjoy further cost savings as it’s “already seeing medium-term savings in the double-digit million range.” Currently, VW uses over 1,200 AI applications, where it leverages AWS services such as Amazon SageMaker to train AI models and build industrial computer vision use cases, improving quality and cutting costs.
It will also enable them to deploy new IT systems for production and logistics across all connected factories, which currently helps them connect order intake, logistics, and manufacturing, while ensuring seamless data flows throughout the entire process chain.
“Our ambition is to become the global automotive tech driver,” said Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management for IT at the Volkswagen Group. “To achieve this, we are consistently digitalizing and connecting all areas of our company. Our goal is to bring products and technologies to our customers even faster. The Digital Production Platform plays a key role in this: it is the digital nervous system of our factories—and the key to a future of AI-powered production.”
Recently, Volkswagen faced a recall pertaining to its ID. Buzz electric vans.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the van’s third-row bench seats—which are wide enough for three people—only offer two seatbelts.
Other automakers, including General Motors, Ford, Chevrolet, and Polestar, also faced recalls at the time.
In more recent developments, Honda and Acura were subject to the recall misfortune. Here, over 1.4 million vehicles are included in a newly opened preliminary evaluation that investigates reports of engine failure.
The vehicles in question include the 2016–20 Acura MDX, 2018–20 Acura TLX, 2016–20 Honda Pilot, 2017–19 Honda Ridgeline, and 2018–20 Honda Odyssey—all equipped with Honda's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. As per the NHTSA, problems with the engine could lead to complete engine failure and a risk of crashes or fires.
The new investigation is separate from a 2023 recall investigating a connecting-rod bearing failure that included many of the same vehicles, spanning 2016–19 model years.
Do you think VW’s extension with AWS will allow it to future-proof its vehicles?
Do you think Aurora’s partnership with McLeod Software will help both companies grow their customer base and boost the adoption of self-driving trucks?
Let us know in the comments below!
Not only did the company begin these services at the start of May, but it also started night deliveries with its driverless trucks—which also came with the opening of a new terminal in Phoenix—all before July ended and having surpassed 20,000 autonomous miles.
Now, the company is taking autonomous trucking to the next level.
Through a news release published on its website, Aurora announced a strategic partnership with McLeod Software, a leading provider of transportation management solutions, that would see the two companies create the industry’s first Transportation Management System (TMS) for autonomous trucks.
McLeod Software’s TMS is used by over 1,200 customers, courtesy of its advanced tools for scheduling, dispatching, billing, and more.
An API integration to Aurora’s technology will offer customers access to a robust and easy-to-use platform with enhanced real-time visibility into autonomous operations, bringing efficiency for carriers interested in moving goods through Aurora’s self-driving trucks.
“Our partnership with McLeod marks a key next step in delivering a premium, customer-centric product and service,” said Ossa Fisher, President at Aurora. “By meeting customers where they are within their existing TMS, we're making it easy for them to tap into the safety and efficiency benefits of autonomous trucks.”
The idea is to enable a superior and seamless user experience and easy management of critical processes—such as load tender and acceptance of autonomous shipments, dispatch, and load visibility—for customers of both companies and other customers using Aurora’s autonomous trucks, as well as boost the industry adoption of self-driving trucking technology.
“Integrating Aurora's autonomous capabilities into our TMS platform provides our customers with a pathway to adopt Autonomous Tractors within their operations,” said Tom McLeod, Founder and CEO of McLeod Software. “This collaboration underscores our dedication to providing cutting-edge technology for our customers, empowering them to optimize their operations and embrace innovation with confidence.”
The move will also allow both companies to grow their customer base, leveraging each other’s roster of customers.
Digital transformation has become a central figure in the automobile industry—and automakers are even trying to infuse advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into vehicles, while other applications enhance backend and factory processes.
However, to deliver such experiences—while dreaming of a connected car future—it’s crucial to have a capable cloud companion.
For Volkswagen Group, there’s no one better than Amazon Web Services, which is why VW announced it is extending its collaboration with AWS for another five years, as it looks to transform its vehicle production for an AI-powered future.
The move means that the two will continue to collaborate on VW’s Digital Production Platform (DPP)—its “factory cloud”—which is designed to support automotive manufacturing.
VW’s DPP allows the automaker to deploy AI and cutting-edge IT systems across its global production sites, which currently connects 43 sites in Europe, North America, and South America.
The extension will allow VW to enjoy further cost savings as it’s “already seeing medium-term savings in the double-digit million range.” Currently, VW uses over 1,200 AI applications, where it leverages AWS services such as Amazon SageMaker to train AI models and build industrial computer vision use cases, improving quality and cutting costs.
It will also enable them to deploy new IT systems for production and logistics across all connected factories, which currently helps them connect order intake, logistics, and manufacturing, while ensuring seamless data flows throughout the entire process chain.
“Our ambition is to become the global automotive tech driver,” said Hauke Stars, Member of the Board of Management for IT at the Volkswagen Group. “To achieve this, we are consistently digitalizing and connecting all areas of our company. Our goal is to bring products and technologies to our customers even faster. The Digital Production Platform plays a key role in this: it is the digital nervous system of our factories—and the key to a future of AI-powered production.”
Recently, Volkswagen faced a recall pertaining to its ID. Buzz electric vans.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the van’s third-row bench seats—which are wide enough for three people—only offer two seatbelts.
Other automakers, including General Motors, Ford, Chevrolet, and Polestar, also faced recalls at the time.
In more recent developments, Honda and Acura were subject to the recall misfortune. Here, over 1.4 million vehicles are included in a newly opened preliminary evaluation that investigates reports of engine failure.
The vehicles in question include the 2016–20 Acura MDX, 2018–20 Acura TLX, 2016–20 Honda Pilot, 2017–19 Honda Ridgeline, and 2018–20 Honda Odyssey—all equipped with Honda's 3.5-liter V-6 engine. As per the NHTSA, problems with the engine could lead to complete engine failure and a risk of crashes or fires.
The new investigation is separate from a 2023 recall investigating a connecting-rod bearing failure that included many of the same vehicles, spanning 2016–19 model years.
Do you think VW’s extension with AWS will allow it to future-proof its vehicles?
Do you think Aurora’s partnership with McLeod Software will help both companies grow their customer base and boost the adoption of self-driving trucks?
Let us know in the comments below!
First published on Fri, Aug 29, 2025
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