Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market is projected to expand from USD 44.34 Billion in 2025 to USD 105.54 Billion by 2031, achieving a CAGR of 15.55%. These heavy-duty commercial vehicles utilize advanced sensor arrays, connectivity systems, and artificial intelligence to operate with minimal or no human input, covering Level 1 driver assistance through Level 5 full automation. The market's growth is fundamentally driven by the necessity to reduce operational costs via better fuel efficiency, improve road safety by eliminating human error, and maintain supply chains despite workforce shortages. Highlighting this urgency, the International Road Transport Union reported that over 3 million truck driver positions went unfilled globally in 2024, necessitating automated solutions to sustain freight capacity.

However, the industry faces substantial hurdles due to the absence of harmonized regulatory frameworks and liability standards across different jurisdictions. Inconsistent legislation regarding insurance responsibility, safety certification for driverless operations, and cross-border transit creates significant legal uncertainty. This regulatory fragmentation currently impedes the widespread commercial deployment and scalability of autonomous fleets, preventing the market from reaching its full potential despite strong economic incentives.

Market Drivers

The primary catalyst for adopting autonomous trucking technologies is the critical need to mitigate global truck driver shortages. As the existing workforce ages and recruitment of younger drivers stalls, logistics companies are increasingly relying on automation to maintain freight capacity and prevent supply chain bottlenecks. This structural deficit is particularly severe in specific regions; for instance, the International Road Transport Union's May 2024 report on 'European Road Freight Transport 2024' projects a shortage of over 233,000 drivers in Europe, underscoring the regional intensity of the labor crisis that autonomous solutions are designed to alleviate.

Additionally, the push to significantly reduce long-haul operational costs and the growing demand for efficient logistics accelerate market penetration. Autonomous systems allow vehicles to operate nearly continuously by bypassing human hours-of-service mandates, thereby increasing asset utilization and delivery speed while reducing fuel consumption through optimized driving. This potential for high-volume efficiency is driving rapid commercial scaling; Aurora Innovation reported in its July 2024 Shareholder Letter that it is scheduling over 140 commercial loads weekly, nearly tripling the previous year's volume. Similarly, investor confidence remains high, with Waabi securing $200 million in Series B financing in 2024 to deploy fully driverless trucks.

Market Challenges

The scalability of the Global Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market is severely restricted by a fractured operational landscape resulting from the lack of harmonized regulatory frameworks and liability standards. Because long-haul logistics naturally involve crossing multiple borders, inconsistent legislation regarding safety certifications and insurance mandates forces companies to navigate a complex patchwork of conflicting rules. This regulatory fragmentation introduces substantial legal risks and operational inefficiencies, effectively negating the cost benefits that autonomous systems are intended to deliver and compelling manufacturers to delay widespread deployment until unified guidelines validate driverless operations across broader regions.

The inability to secure a cohesive legal standard also deters investment and complicates the underwriting of essential insurance policies for fleet mobilization. The severity of this impediment is evident in recent industry feedback; according to the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, over 93% of surveyed executives in 2025 identified the absence of a federal policy framework as the primary barrier preventing the continued progress of autonomous vehicle technologies. Without a unified regulatory baseline, the market remains trapped in a phase of localized piloting rather than achieving the cross-jurisdictional growth necessary for global maturation.

Market Trends

The market is being fundamentally reshaped by strategic alliances between legacy OEMs and AI startups, shifting focus from retrofit solutions to factory-integrated production. Traditional truck manufacturers are leveraging their industrial scale and service networks, while autonomous technology firms provide the necessary artificial intelligence and software stacks. This collaborative model allows sensors and redundancy systems to be embedded directly into the chassis during manufacturing, significantly enhancing reliability and safety. For instance, Daimler Truck announced in April 2025 that it had begun delivering production-intent autonomous Freightliner Cascadias to Torc Robotics, aiming to validate the integrated system for a scalable market entry by 2027.

Concurrently, the integration of autonomous systems with electric and hydrogen powertrains is gaining momentum as operators seek to combine the efficiency of driverless technology with zero-emission propulsion. Electric drive-by-wire architectures offer superior responsiveness for autonomous control algorithms, and the elimination of the driver's cabin in purpose-built vehicles optimizes aerodynamics and extends range. This convergence is driving significant investment into platforms that unify sustainability with automation; according to Electrek in October 2025, Einride secured $100 million in new funding to accelerate the deployment of its fully autonomous, battery-electric transport pods, achieving a $1 billion valuation.

Key Players Profiled in the Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market

• Waymo LLC
• CreateAI Holdings Inc.
• Aurora Operations, Inc.
• Applied Intuition, Inc.
• PlusAI Inc.
• Daimler Truck AG
• AB Volvo
• Kodiak AI Inc.
• Einride AB
• Locomation Inc.

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market, by ADAS Features:

• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Blind Spot Detection
• Intelligent Park Assist
• Lane Assist

Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market, by Automation Level:

• Level 0
• Level 1
• Level 2
• Level 3
• Level 4/5

Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market, by Component:

• Embedded System
• Camera
• Radar
• LiDAR
• Other

Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market, by Application:

• Logistic
• Mining
• Construction

Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market, by Fuel Type:

• Diesel
• Petrol
• Gasoline
• Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
• Electric
• Hybrid

Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Semi & Fully Autonomous Truck Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.