Self-driving big-rig trucks coming soon? Waymo set to begin mapping interstates in Texas, New Mexico

The Lone Star State may become a little lonelier -- at least when it comes to big-rig trucking. Waymo, the self-driving vehicle division of Google parent Alphabet, is about to start mapping in Texas and New Mexico as a prelude to testing its self-driving big-rig trucks. The mapping minivans, to be followed by the large trucks, will run primarily along Interstates 10, 20 and 45 and through metropolitan areas like El Paso, Dallas and Houston, the company said. Waymo previously mapped and tested its big rigs in Arizona, California and Georgia. The latest move will add to that footprint as the company moves toward its vision of big rigs rolling down interstates with no one at the wheel, their sensors and computers making them safer than if they have a human in control. Though Waymo doesn't appear to have any specific customers in mind yet -- the big rigs won't be hauling freight during the test and will have a standby driver on board -- the routes through Texas hold special appeal partly because the state is especially eager to accommodate autonomous-vehicle experiments.