Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Embark's Self-Driving Truck Goes L.A. to Florida in Latest Journey

Autonomous vehicle technology company Embark has completed a 2,400-mile, coast-to-coast journey in one of its self-driving trucks.

by Staff
February 7, 2018
Embark's Self-Driving Truck Goes L.A. to Florida in Latest Journey

Embark's self-driving truck just completed a five-day, 2,400-mile journey across the U.S. Photo: Embark

2 min to read


Embark's self-driving truck just completed a five-day, 2,400-mile journey across the U.S. Photo: Embark

Autonomous vehicle technology company Embark has completed a 2,400-mile, coast-to-coast journey in one of its self-driving trucks.

The journey began in Los Angeles, with the truck traveling along Interstate 10, one of the country’s busiest freight corridors. It ended five days later in Jacksonville, Florida. The company said the journey helps prove that mapping out long-distance trips is not a barrier for self-driving trucks.

Ad Loading...

Since last year, the San Francisco-based startup has been running its self-driving Class 8 trucks on routes between Los Angeles and El Paso, transporting products on a limited basis for the manufacturing company Electrolux. But this latest journey is much longer, a significant milestone for the company, which envisions future where autonomous trucks can increase efficiency by running long-haul routes 24 hours a day.

“When we announced our Los Angeles to El Paso route we promised that was the just first stage of a much larger expansion,” said Alex Rodrigues, Embark CEO. “The coast-to-coast demonstration we completed today is four times longer than our El Paso route, which was already the longest in the world.”

Currently, Embark’s trucks have a professional driver in the cab as a safety measure, actively monitoring the road, supervising the system and ready to take over control when needed. Because the driver was constricted by hours-of-service rules, the trip took longer than it would have had it been able to run without those limitations.

Ad Loading...

Once Embark’s tech is ready and cleared to run on its own, Embark expects the trip to take only two days in total, according to TechCrunch, which also reported that the truck went "hours at a time with no disengagements, and when they did occur they were usually only a few seconds," according to Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues.

“One of the most exciting aspects of this technology to our partners, like Electrolux, is being able to shrink their supply chains and take advantage of just-in-time manufacturing strategies.” Rodrigues explained. “Similarly, the growing e-commerce industry requires these sorts of two-day routes to get products to consumers in an acceptable time frame.”

Embark’s system doesn’t rely on high-resolution maps of the road that some of its competitors use, meaning that the company didn’t have to map out the route inch-by-inch before the journey, according to the company. Embark’s system instead uses machine learning to reconstruct a model of the world using its sensors in real time.

Embark’s fleet has been growing in recent months, increasing from two trucks to five, Rodrigues said the company plans to purchase a total of 40 trucks by the end of the year.

Related: Embark's New Road to Autonomous

More Drivers

Volvo American Truck Simulator.
Driversby News/Media ReleaseJuly 8, 2026

Volvo Goes Gaming

Volvo has roared into American Truck Simulator with two new flagship trucks.

Read More →
Two black men in safety vests walking together laughing in a truck fleet yard
Driversby Deborah LockridgeJuly 6, 2026

What the Best Fleets to Drive For Teach About Driver Retention

Survey fatigue, AI-powered routing, owner-operator expectations, and the decline of social media all emerged as themes from this year's Best Fleets to Drive For program.

Read More →
Podcast thumbnail showing Jane Jazrawy, the words "When Drivers Tune Out," and a line drawing of a truck.
DriversJuly 2, 2026

Driver Retention Lessons From the Best Fleets to Drive For

What separates trucking's best workplaces from the rest? Jane Jazrawy shares the biggest lessons from this year's Best Fleets to Drive For program on driver retention, communication, AI, and workforce trends on the HDT Talks Trucking podcast.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Man standing beside tractor-trailer in sepia tone with the words "Farewell CDL" superimposed on top
Driversby Jack RobertsJuly 1, 2026

Farewell, CDL: Why I'm Giving Up My Commercial Driver's License

After more than 20 years as a CDL holder, HDT Executive Editor Jack Roberts is letting his commercial license expire. Not because he wants to — but because trucking's nuclear verdict crisis has made the risks of public-road test drives too great for editors, manufacturers, and everyone involved.

Read More →
HDT Talks Trucking thumbnail with photo of Jane Jazrawy and the text,, "When Drivers Tune Out"
Driversby Deborah LockridgeJune 24, 2026

How Top Trucking Fleets Improve Driver Retention [Video]

What do healthy snacks, optimized routing, and just picking up the phone have in common? They're all strategies the Best Fleets to Drive For are using to retain truck drivers.

Read More →
Trucker Path Cargo Net theft overlay.
Driversby News/Media ReleaseJune 23, 2026

Trucker Path Adds Verisk CargoNet Theft Data to Navigation Platform

Trucker Path’s new cargo theft risk overlays give drivers and fleets visibility into high-risk areas, stolen commodity trends, and theft hotspots.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Man seated in front of computer with inset of insights generated for a truck driver

Netradyne Intelligence Uses New AI Agents to Automate Response to In-Cab Camera Data

The company called the next-generation in-cab camera safety platform "a fundamental shift from systems that report on what happened to systems that actively drive what should happen next."

Read More →
Illustration of hourglass and trucks backed up to a dock
DriversJune 15, 2026

Why Truck Detention Keeps Costing Fleets Time and Money

A 2024 ATRI study found detention affects nearly 40% of truckload stops and costs the industry more than $15 billion annually. Despite the toll on drivers, fleets, and supply chains, the problem remains stubbornly persistent.

Read More →
Artist rendering of dealership with trucks and trailers parked outside
Equipmentby News/Media ReleaseJune 2, 2026

Prime Inc. to Open $7.9M Flagship Used-Truck Dealership

A new driver-focused facility to sell Prime Inc's used trucks and trailers will be the first purpose-built location in the company's history.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Thumbnail for podcast episode
Safety & ComplianceMay 28, 2026

Short Takes: Inside K&B’s Truck Safety Tech

Listen to learn how K&B Transportation uses cellphone-blocking technology, speed management systems, weather geofencing, bridge avoidance tools, and more to improve driver safety.

Read More →