Aurora Innovation Inc. announced the formation of its new Industry Advisory Council, which will aim to offer expertise on the Pittsburgh-based company's development and commercialization of its self-driving autonomous vehicle technology.
The six-member panel, which consists exclusively of men, is comprised of individuals who have had experience in the nation's transportation and trucking industries, from politicians to logistic company chief executives.
Aurora said that the formation of the council comes at a time of an "unprecedented supply chain crisis" and a national truck driver shortage. The company's Aurora Horizon autonomous trucking subscription service, a product announced earlier this month that it plans to launch for transportation and logistics companies in late 2023, is a solution Aurora hopes will prove successful in addressing these needs.
“As an industry leader in the development of self-driving trucking technology, we keep a close eye on the market and the needs of our partners and customers,” Aurora Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson said in a statement. “Given the current supply chain crisis and labor shortage, there has never been a more critical time to deliver autonomous trucks and we’re honored to have world-class leaders across the transportation and logistics industries advising us as we fine-tune and prepare to deliver Aurora Horizon to the market at scale.”
When asked about the intention of diversity in the selection process for who was contacted to be on this panel, an Aurora spokesperson said, "diversity is important at Aurora and we will, as always, consider both personal and professional diversity as we look to bring together the strongest voices in the industry for the Council and at our company generally. We are also working with organizations like Women in Trucking to ensure we help support a future pipeline of women in the logistics industry.”
The following members are part of the new Industry Advisory Council:
- President & CEO, Texas Trucking Association John Esparza
- Author of The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream; Faculty Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania Steve Viscelli
- Former White House Chief of Staff and Secretary of Transportation Andrew H. Card
- Former President, CEO & Director of Paper Transport; Founder & Chairman, Breakthrough Fuel; Managing Director, TitletownTech Craig Dickman
- Former Managing Director of Transportation & Logistics at Stifel; Strategic Advisor & Advisory Board Chair, Clarendon Capital John Larkin
- Former President & CEO, Swift Transportation; CEO & Principal, DPX Consulting Richard Stocking
Aurora's Industry Advisory Council comes a few months after the formation of its Safety Advisory Board, a seven-member panel focused on providing external perspectives on the company's overall approach to safety and other industry topics like engaging with regulators and the public.
The company is expecting to list on the NASDAQ stock exchange on Nov. 4 if shareholders approve of its merger with Reinvent Technology Partners Y (RTPY), a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) led by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Zynga founder Mark Pincus.
