Charger Logistics plans to buy up to 500 Aurora driverless trucks

What the agreement covers

Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ: AUR) said the memorandum of understanding builds on a contract Charger signed in July. Under the MOU, Charger would own and operate the trucks, deploying them on current and new high-volume routes near the border and throughout the country.

The deal is non-binding. Aurora's forward-looking statements note that it is not certain the MOU will result in a final agreement and binding orders on the expected timeframe or at all. The company also lists the risk that customer orders may be delayed or reduced in scope.

Charger Logistics operates across the U.S. and Mexico and moves goods for the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, automotive, and retail industries. Aurora describes it as a privately held, asset-based carrier offering truckload, dedicated, temperature-controlled and cross-border services.

Driver as a Service and ownership

Once a final agreement is reached, Charger intends to subscribe to Aurora's Driver as a Service (DaaS) model. According to Aurora, owning the physical asset lets the carrier maximize Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings. Aurora says it expects the arrangement to give it a high-margin, capital-efficient and asset-light business.

Aurora calls DaaS agreements a critical component of its plan to scale to 30,000 driverless trucks in 2030. The company also says additional customers are pursuing DaaS contracts to own and operate their own driverless fleets, which it presents as evidence of demand for autonomous trucks at scale.

Zac Andreoni, Vice President of Business Development at Aurora, said: "Owning the physical asset is the logical choice for our customers." He added that Aurora is ready to support customer growth with the launch of its second-generation hardware and trucks.

Charger's view and what comes next

Andy Khera, President of Charger Logistics, said the company has seen immediate operational benefits since launching autonomous operations along the Laredo corridor. He said these point to a clear path to scaling. Khera also said Aurora's plans to open long-haul, high-volume routes would let Charger grow geographically while integrating autonomy from its transportation management system to the road.

For the market, the announcement shows Aurora steering customers toward owning driverless trucks while paying for the driving system as a service, rather than relying only on fleets it controls. Whether the 500-truck figure materializes depends on a final agreement and binding orders, which the MOU does not yet provide.