For back to back years, Bot Auto has made the @FreightWaves FreightTech 100 list. This award list has the biggest names in freight and we’re honored to be featured as a repeat winner. 2026 was truly transformational for the business. Autonomy went from a pilot program to a revenue engine for the operations team. Leadership was bolstered with the addition of Brett Suma, and Tete Xiao. Bart Teeter kept the team locked in with our safety partners across Texas, like Texas Department of Public Safety. Now we wait until the Future of Freight Festival in October to see if we can bust into the FreightTech 25, the industry’s most innovative companies. Congratulations to the entire Bot Auto team!

ICYMI: Last week the Phillips Connect team hosted their September webinar featuring Brett Suma. The discussion was fantastic! If you didn't have a chance to join, you can request an on-demand recording of the session here: phillips-connect.com/webinar…

When you’re working for large customers like Ryan Transportation, quality delivery service is a non-negotiable. Jason Lau, Bot’s Director of Business Development, explains how we hit that quality guarantee. Safety, service, super powered by autonomy.

“What makes Bot Auto different from other autonomy providers?” is a question asked constantly. Jason Lau, our director of business development, explains his thoughts. He has the perspective of working with another AV provider and genuinely understands why Transportation-as-a-Service is the right vertical for Bot. The partners and customers don’t want to hedge on a 5 year play for an AV fleet. They want real, flexible, autonomous capacity on a network ready to scale NOW.

Autonomous trucking hinges on one incredibly important role: the test driver. Without the driver, the technology could never be safely deployed driverless on the roads. At Bot Auto, our team of test drivers keeps our fleet moving so the autonomy can move your freight. Kelly Blosl is at the heart of our test driver team. With over 3 decades in trucking and 3 million safe miles under his wheels, Kelly helps keep our autonomous systems in check by testing on the what the engineers build at HQ. Meet Kelly and hear why he thinks autonomy is a benefit to the drivers who want to ensure longevity in their careers.

Catch @RobertBrownAV next week in Indiana at @actresearch Market Vitals seminar. He'll be laying out all things autonomy, how we got here and where we're going next!

This July, Bot Auto celebrated three years of transforming the landscape of trucking. Based in Houston, Bot Auto is proud to call Texas home thanks to the booming economy, wide range of freight, and pro-autonomy regulators. Vice President of Partnerships @RobertBrownAV sat down to talk about the value of being in the Lone Star State, why it was enough to move him out of sunny San Diego, and how the Texas trucking industry is responding to the expansion of autonomous vehicles on the roads. We're happy to celebrate three years and ready for what comes next!

The Bot Auto automated driver is ready for whatever the roads throw at it. Left lane construction zone? Check. ✅ Overnight runs? Check. ✅ First responder vehicles? Check. ✅ The truck handles it all. No pause, no falter. Just safe decision-making on the interstate at all hours. Check out this video from our Houston-Dallas lane to see how easy overnight navigation can be when you trust the machine to do the right thing.

Our team is onsite this week at the @SAEIntl Automated Transportation Symposium! @teeter_bart will be explaining decision making & real-world behavior tomorrow at 1:30 pm PT & @thebrmoore will be breaking down national security & AVs Wednesday at 10:30 am. Find us if you're there this week too!

How do we safely remove the driver from our truck? Dean DeGazio, Director of Autonomy Safety, explains how it comes down to a layered & methodical safety case. The 4 pillars of going driverless: 1. Traceable Design: Software must perfectly map to the exact route/ODD (like our Texas network). 2. Edge-Case Simulation: Running massive simulation arrays to train the AI for unpredictable road behaviors. 3. Strict Configuration Control: Re-testing the entire system after any update to avoid introducing blind spots. 4. Operational Guardrails: Rigorous pre-trip inspections, remote assistance support, and deep dry runs. If it ain't safe, we won't do it. Full stop.

Operating as a transportation as a service provider means Bot Auto has to constantly think about the cost per mile metric. How do you build autonomy that reduces CPM but still holds up to the high safety standards required? Tete Xiao explains how we think about this through our specific combination of radar, lidar, and cameras in our sensor suite. @blythebrum dug into this and other deep parts of the Bot Auto autonomy use case in this year's edition of the CargoRex AI Use Cases in Logistics roundup.

A great captain is nothing without his crew, and Brett Suma knows that better than anyone. That's why he says it was a no-brainer for him to bring on his first mates, David Stemm and Jessica Kane, when he joined Bot Auto a month ago. In the weeks since coming aboard, the three have taken a hard look at our operations plans from the ground-up. The future for Bot Auto is all about smart scale, not growth for the sake of growth. Brett, David, and Jessica are three key components in making that growth happen; we're happy to have them on our ship!

Huge thank you to @blythebrum for featuring Bot Auto in the @CargoRexx “AI Use Cases in Logistics” guide! Our CTO Tete Xiao did a great job talking about the future of Bot Auto and the scale opportunities of the future. piped.video/yWXQq_Fa9c0

Another great move by Bot Auto, please welcome Brett Suma to our team! Brett brings decades of industry experience and a true love of the autonomy space to his role as President & COO. We're so glad to have him with us!

Our team just wrapped up an incredible week in Washington, D.C., with the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association. It was a whirlwind of high-level discussions on Capitol Hill, at the White House and with the Department of Transportation. One thing is clear from perspectives of lawmakers, stakeholders, and industry players: 2026 will be THE transformational year for commercial autonomous scale. A major talking point was the bipartisan BUILD America 250 Act. This landmark legislation is the key to ensuring AVs are implemented in a way that serves every American. Thank you to the team at AVIA for their tireless advocacy and for organizing such a productive week of engagement. Special shoutout to @SecDuffy and the leadership at the DOT for their commitment to innovation and safety, and for making so much progress the first year and a half of this administration. Thank you also to @SenTedCruz for his leadership and vision in championing policies that keep the United States at the forefront of global autonomous technology. The technology is ready, the benefits are clear, and the momentum is building. Let’s lead the way.

TechCon SoCal 2026 kicks off in a week and we will be on site! Xiaodi Hou will be on a panel discussing the future of transportation from AV's to EV's and everything in between. Will we see you in San Diego?!

Here's a look at the highlights from our humanless run from Houston to Dallas!

Yesterday Kaylee Nix hit the FreightWaves airwaves on What The Truck?!? to talk about our autonomous run from Houston to Dallas. If you missed the episode, catch it here or on your favorite podcast player! piped.video/watch?v=Ka41YlVP…

We delivered the first fully-humanless commercial truckload on a public highway in America. Full stop. No in-cab observer. No remote controller. No passenger. Just the truck, the freight, and a load that made us money. A 230-mile journey from Houston to Dallas on Interstate 45, one of the busiest freight corridors in Texas. It took less than three years to get to this point, so how did we do it? 1. A dedicated vision unclouded by distractions or offshoots. We want to move freight for customers who believe in the power of autonomy, so we did. 2. A team that is THE best at what they do. From our engineers to our safety advocates to our leadership, everyone was pointed towards the same goal. 3. Technology that never faltered, never questioned itself, and performed exactly as designed and tested. 4. A partner who trusts us to get the job done. Ryan Transportation booked and paid for this run, we delivered on time for a service lane they have struggled with in the past. So now what? We do it again. And again, and again. We expand our lanes, start running southbound on I-45, book more loads, and deliver more freight. We stay true to our mission of unbeatable service and grow to be THE trusted autonomy provider in Texas, then in America. The autonomy economy is real; it's here right now. We are leading the charge, and we will keep winning.

Last week Dr. Xiaodi Hou hit the Ride AI summit stage with @ThomasWasson. Thomas led a great conversation about the reality of autonomy on Texas roads & how we are leading the charge! Watch the full convo here: piped.video/watch?v=VQpXloDM…

Huge shout out to the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles for the great work they've done implementing the #autonomousvehicleregistration requirements passed during the 89th session of the #TexasLegislature. At 10:00 AM the DMV registration portal went live, and at 10:42 AM, Bot Auto became the first officially approved commercial autonomous vehicle operator in Texas. This one hits different for us. Texas isn't just where we operate, it's home. Our headquarters, our development, our testing, and the families of our team are all here in the Lone Star State. We're committed to making Texas highways safer and contributing to a stronger Texas economy. Proud to be first out of the gate. And just getting started. #TexasProud #HoustonBorn

2026 Ride AI summit is in the books! Thank you to @ThomasWasson for leading a great panel with our CEO Xiaodi Hou!

The next generation of innovators is here! Had the best time showing the kids of Robertson Elementary in Katy about our AV tech & getting them up close & personal with the truck!

We'll be in San Fransisco for the 2026 Ride AI summit next month! Join us there and save with discount code RIDEBOTAUTO40!

👏👏👏 to our Founder & CEO Xiaodi Hou for being accepted to the FAST Company Impact Council! He joins some of the best entrepreneurial minds in the business with this acceptance!

Excited to have our founder & CEO Dr. Xiaodi Hou join Professor Jinhua Zhao tomorrow for @MIT's Mobility Forum! Register to watch at the link below!

We've added another rockstar to our team! Please give a warm welcome to Tete Xiao, our new VP of Engineering and AI. Tete is joining us after co-founding PromptAI and specializes in robotics & computer vision. Full driver-out autonomy is closer with him on our side!

Big thanks to Nexar Inc. and the SF Urban Autonomy Summit team for an outstanding event with incredible energy and turnout. We appreciated the opportunity for Xiaodi Hou to join the panel and share perspectives on moving autonomy from pilots to real-world deployment at scale. Great conversations, strong collaboration, and an impressive group of mobility leaders all around.

Excited to have Xiaodi Hou speaking at the Urban Autonomy Summit on Wednesday, Jan 28 in San Francisco. 🕓 4:40 PM 🎤 Panel: Inside AVs: Safety, System Design, Data, and Training 📍 9 Zero Climate Innovation Hub — 350 California St Looking forward to a thoughtful discussion on what it takes to deploy autonomy safely at scale—from real-world data and validation to system design and operations.

Thank you to @Trimac_Trans for having us at their new location in Houston!

@daniburgz thank you for having Xiaodi on your show this morning. A great converstation around autonomous trucks and our driverless runs in Houston!

Thank you Holman, we were so excited to be at EMERGE 2025 this week in Miami Beach! 🌴 Energized by the discussions on AI-driven impact and partnerships that create outsized value. Paul Lam and Robert Brown had the opportunity to share Bot Auto’s impact on today’s transportation system — and how we’re building tomorrow’s technology for today’s trucking industry.

We are a proud sponsor of SAE International #ATS25! Please check out Bot Auto's own and AV Law Enforcement Legend Bart Teeter's panel (Deployment of the Autonomous Vehicle Enhanced Inspection Pilot Program and its Journey to a State Near You!)-11/5/25-10:30 AM - 12:00 PM MT. Our Director of Autonomy Safety Dean Degazio will also be in attendance. Please reach out to them if you are interested in learning more about Bot Auto or AV safety.

That is a wrap in San Diego and at #MCE2025! Thank you @TRUCKINGdotORG for a great event!

Technology is only one piece of the puzzle to bring Autonomous Trucking to the open road. Our humanless technology is beyond the prove it moment. Now the challenge is commercialization.

We are in the "Afterhype"! That is what Bot Auto Founder and CEO Xiaodi Hou shared this week at Alignment 2025, the Valley 101 Tech Summit. This summit isn't just about tech leaders sharing insights – it's a gathering filled with substance, stories, and surprises at the forefront of innovation. The perfect audience to hear the Bot Auto story about the Path to Profitability and the new Road to Commercialization of the autonomous trucking industry.

Check out our own Bart Teeter on the Full Tech Ahead podcast with Amanda Razani. Bart shares how after 26 years with the Texas Highway Patrol, how he now applies that experience to autonomous trucks, aiming to make highways safer, more efficient and more reliable. piped.video/watch?v=QUoLu2OG…

Thanks Chuck Martin of the Net Future Institute for the opportunity to share the Bot Auto journey with your audience! Take a second it is a good listen! "We are laser focused. We have only one goal and that is Level 4 Autonomous Trucking." Dr. Xiaodi Hou, Bot Auto Founder and CEO. netfutureinstitute.com/?p=51…

Texas is the global example for Autonomous Trucking commercialization! Earlier this month Bot Auto Representatives Robert Brown and Bart Teeter were honored to join representatives from the Texas Department of Transportation in welcoming a delegation of researchers and officials from Japan. The group came to Texas specifically to see real-world examples of autonomous trucking in action and how the regulations in Texas have made us the epicenter for the global Autonomous Trucking industry. "What stood out to us on that day most was how the conversation itself reflected the warmth and depth of the autonomous driving community in the state of Texas—committed to road safety, open dialogue, and practical collaboration." said Yoko Suzuoki, Associate Principal at SC-Abeam Automotive Consulting. "We believe that Texas’s experience offers valuable lessons not only for Japan, but for the global community."

Bot Auto is excited to be heading to Motor City for MOVE America next week! If you are there don't miss our Chief Strategy Officer Paul Lam on the panel for a discussion about the progress in Autonomous Trucking! #MOVEAmerica #DrivingInnovation #BotAuto #humanless #continuousvalidation

🛡️ Safety First, Always: The Foundation of Our Humanless Achievement Behind every autonomous mile is a commitment to safety that never wavers. Our humanless validation run wasn't just a technology demonstration — it was the result of rigorous safety protocols that define everything we do at Bot Auto: Multi-Layered Safety Architecture: 🛡️ Redundant systems for every critical function 🔒 Continuous health monitoring of all components ⚠️ Minimum risk condition protocols for any anomaly 🎯 Comprehensive hazard detection and response Validation Before Operation: [COMPLETE] Rigorous closed-course testing [VERIFIED] Progressive validation from simple to complex scenarios [CONFIRMED] First Responder coordination and notification [VALIDATED] Safety verification at every stage Continuous Improvement: Each validation run teaches us something new. Every mile of data helps us enhance our safety systems. This is why we embrace continuous validation — because safety isn't a milestone, it's an ongoing commitment. As we advance from test tracks to public roads to commercial operations, one thing remains constant: nothing matters more than safety. To our safety engineers, validation team, and everyone who ensures every run meets our uncompromising standards: thank you. Your dedication makes autonomous trucking not just possible, but responsible. piped.video/watch?v=kdOU9lbH… #SafetyFirst #AutonomousSafety #TransportationSafety #Engineering #Innovation

🚛 Watch: 90 Seconds of Humanless Autonomy in Action This is what true autonomous trucking looks like. No safety driver. No remote operator. Just pure autonomous operation navigating Houston's real-world traffic. This video captures the key moments from our first humanless validation run on public roads, Highway, and Interstate 10 in West Houston: 🚦 Empty cab at startup 🛣️ Autonomous highway merging on I-10 🔄 Complex intersection navigation 🌅 Day-to-night transition capability 🏁 Safe return to hub This represents a major milestone in our continuous validation journey — proving our technology works where it matters: on public roads with real traffic. Humanless means no human. Period. Watch the full validation run and see why this waypoint matters for the future of trucking. #AutonomousVehicles #Trucking #Technology #Innovation #Safety#BotAuto

It's official! Bot Auto is the first to successfully complete a human-less validation of an autonomous big rig! Even better, it happened on public roads and highways right here in Houston. “This validation run is a meaningful step, but it’s a waypoint, not the destination,” said Dr. Xiaodi Hou, Founder and CEO of Bot Auto. “Success is simple: autonomy must beat human cost-per-mile, consistently and safely. And at Bot Auto, humanless means no human — not in the driver’s seat, not in the back seat, and not behind a remote joystick.” Prior to the run, Bot Auto completed end-to-end safety verification and validation for the defined Operational Design Domain (ODD), including rigorous closed-course autonomy testing. To further safeguard operations, the truck was equipped with multiple layers of protection, including diversified redundancy, continuous health monitoring, and verified minimum-risk fallback - designed to maintain intended performance under normal conditions and to respond safely to unexpected events. We are driving innovation and the future is now!

All day or all night our autonomous driver is always on. We continue to use safety drivers on our Texas Highway routes as validation of our autonomous trucks continues every single day. You may see that human in the driver's seat, but you can tell a Bot Auto truck is driving itself by the Autonomy Blue indicator lights. We will not be driverless. That is now. We will be HUMANLESS inside the truck. That is soon.

Continuous Validation! That is what we do at Bot Auto. It is much more than testing, continuous validation comes at every moment on autonomous run. There are significant landmarks on the journey to humanless operations. Like the one we hit in July on the Texas Transportation Institute test track, when our truck operated with no driver and no human observer inside—in a controlled environment designed to measure and mitigate risk. “We control the risk, we control the inputs, and we control every part of the testing,” said Captain Bart Teeter (Ret.), Director of Fleet and Operational Safety at Bot Auto. “That’s what allows us to prove the technology in a safe and reliable way.” Autonomous trucking can not only be introduced responsibly and reliably, but being humanless lays the groundwork for hauling customer freight on a cost-per-mile model that makes autonomy practical and commercially viable. See the completely empty cab in our latest validation video! bot.auto/video #SafetyFirst #HumanlessTrucking #AutonomousTrucking #TexasTransportation #BotAuto #ContinuousValidation #TexasTransportationInstitute

In this new era of autonomous transportation, trucks are more than just vehicles; they are rolling networks. Each one, a complex interconnected system of sensors, compute units, and communications links, must be protected as rigorously as any corporate network. For companies building and operating autonomous trucks, cybersecurity is not just an IT consideration, it is central to safety, reliability, and trust. Learn more from Bot Auto's Information Security Manager, Andy Burnett in this month's first Bot Auto Blog bot.auto/blog/securing-rolli…

We are always looking for the best talent! Start your journey into the future of trucking today! bot.auto/career

Celebrating Our Team This Labor Day 🛠️ Today, Bot Auto honors the incredible people who drive our success—our employees. From engineers innovating our automation solutions, to safety drivers logging every mile, each team member brings something irreplaceable to our mission. Your creativity, resilience, and dedication have helped us navigate this year continuing Bot Auto's record pace. Behind our automated solution is the human touch—the problem-solving, the collaboration, and the determination that defines Bot Auto. To our team enjoying a well-deserved day off: thank you for your hard work and passion. You don't just build automation solutions—you build the future. Happy Labor Day! #LaborDay #TeamAppreciation #BotAuto #EmployeeRecognition #AutomationIndustry

Bot Auto is stepping into the spotlight with the Greater Houston Partnership at the annual Houston Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (HYPE) Summit at the Hobby Center downtown! Founder and CEO Xiaodi Hou took the stage for the "Grit, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation" session joined by Veronica Breckenridge the Managing Director of First Bight Ventures. Xiaodi shared his entrepreneurial experience with those looking to be next. When asked what is his the key to success he responded simply, "Be contrarian!" Thanks to the Greater Houston Partnership for the invite and to all the future Houston entrepreneurs!

The most important thing on the road is safety. When talking autonomous transportation there is one huge key to that: redundancy. Bot Auto's Director of Autonomy Safety Dean Degazio how our autonomous trucks have "multiple eyes" pulling in and making sense of data all at once.

Education and collaboration are at the heart of everything we do at Bot Auto. Connecting with Texas law enforcement and transportation officials is key! This week at the headquarters of the Texas Trucking Association in Austin, we brought together representatives from the Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Austin Police Department, Texas Department of Transportation, and the #BurnetCountySheriff for an interactive session about #autonomoustrucking technology. Led by Bot Auto DIrector of Fleet and Operational Safety @BartTeeter, these face-to-face conversations matter. When first responders understand how our autonomous systems work, everyone on the road is safer. We're committed to building these relationships across Texas and beyond, one conversation at a time.