(Reuters) - Truck maker Navistar International Corp has bought a minority stake in TuSimple and aims to co-develop self-driving trucks by 2024 with the technology company as it rolls out a national U.S. autonomous freight network, the two companies said on Wednesday. Self-driving technology for freight trucks has attracted investor attention as it should be easier and cheaper to roll out than in self-driving cars and robotaxis, while providing a clearer path to profitability. Unlike self-driving cars and robotaxis, self-driving freight services run on fixed routes between predefined points - almost all of that on major highways with no intersections or pedestrians. Navistar and TuSimple did not disclose the size of the stake. TuSimple recently announced it was launching a self-driving truck network with United Parcel Service Inc, trucking firm US Xpress Enterprises Inc, and McLane, a supply chain unit of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

Source: International New York Times July 15, 2020 12:00 UTC