{"id":"1780698d-0908-4326-a576-45f75fd3367a","modelId":"4bbc007f-c1e2-47c9-8199-b1a37d99a5ac","versionId":null,"locationId":"45f67762-10f4-4255-be84-45c73efe25f9","operatorId":null,"ownerId":null,"slug":"embark-texas-pilot","status":"ended","firstSeen":"2022-01-01T12:00:00.000Z","manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.therobotreport.com/embark-announces-plans-to-expand-to-texas/","title":"Embark Texas pilot plans (safety-driver)","sourceName":"The Robot Report"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/03/embark-trucks-lays-off-workers-explores-liquidation-of-self-driving-truck-assets/","title":"Embark winds down (Mar 2023)","sourceName":"TechCrunch"}],"notes":"Embark's Texas pilot freight operations (Houston hub; San Antonio-Houston lanes) run with a safety driver aboard, toward a planned 2024 driver-out that was never reached. Ended when Embark wound down in March 2023.","keyFacts":[{"label":"Status","value":"Supervised pilot (safety driver); ENDED with company wind-down (Mar 2023)"}],"reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T12:24:13.754Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T12:24:13.754Z","model":{"id":"4bbc007f-c1e2-47c9-8199-b1a37d99a5ac","companyId":"761d03fd-960b-4437-b8fb-08d886695a98","modelName":"Embark Autonomous Truck","slug":"embark-truck","description":"Embark's autonomous Class 8 truck, which ran test and pilot freight (incl. coast-to-coast and Houston-El Paso runs) with a safety driver aboard. Historical peak was supervised pilot; it never reached observer-free sustained commercial. Discontinued when Embark wound down in 2023.","formFactor":"truck","maturityStage":"pilot","lifecycleState":"discontinued","supersededByModelId":null,"specs":{"end":"wound down 2023","type":"Class 8 autonomous truck","historicalPeak":"supervised pilot freight"},"manufacturerSerial":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.therobotreport.com/embark-announces-plans-to-expand-to-texas/","title":"Embark Texas expansion (safety-driver pilot toward 2024 driver-out goal)","sourceName":"The Robot Report"},{"url":"https://www.ttnews.com/articles/embark-self-driving-truck-completes-coast-coast-test-run","title":"Embark coast-to-coast test run (driver aboard) (2018)","sourceName":"Transport Topics"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"manufacturerTermForTeleop":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T12:24:13.032Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T12:24:13.032Z","company":{"id":"761d03fd-960b-4437-b8fb-08d886695a98","name":"Embark Trucks","slug":"embark","description":"Defunct American autonomous-trucking company (founded 2016 in San Francisco by Alex Rodrigues and Brandon Moak). Went public via a 2021 SPAC (Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp II, ~$5.2B valuation) and ran autonomous test/pilot freight (1.5M+ test miles, Houston-El Paso and coast-to-coast runs) WITH safety drivers, targeting a 2024 driver-out that it never reached. After ~70% layoffs in late 2022 it wound down by March 2023; its IP was sold to Applied Intuition for ~$71M.","status":"discontinued","founded":2016,"hq":"San Francisco, California, USA","fundingTotal":null,"type":"both","reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2017/09/20/inside-embarks-mission-to-make-autonomous-trucking-a-reality/","title":"Inside Embark's mission to make autonomous trucking a reality (Sept 2017)","sourceName":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://www.ttnews.com/articles/embark-self-driving-truck-completes-coast-coast-test-run","title":"Embark self-driving truck completes a coast-to-coast test run (driver behind wheel) (2018)","sourceName":"Transport Topics"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/23/autonomous-trucking-startup-embark-to-go-public-in-5-2b-spac-deal/","title":"Embark to go public in a $5.2B SPAC deal (Jun 23, 2021)","sourceName":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/23/embark-ceo-alex-rodrigues-taking-driverless-truck-firm-public-via-spac.html","title":"Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues taking the firm public via SPAC (Jun 23, 2021)","sourceName":"CNBC"},{"url":"https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001827980/000121390021033824/ea143196-425_northerngene2.htm","title":"Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp II Form 425 (Embark merger announcement) (2021)","sourceName":"SEC EDGAR"},{"url":"https://www.therobotreport.com/embark-announces-plans-to-expand-to-texas/","title":"Embark announces plans to expand to Texas (Houston hub, safety-driver pilot)","sourceName":"The Robot Report"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/03/embark-trucks-lays-off-workers-explores-liquidation-of-self-driving-truck-assets/","title":"Embark lays off ~70% of workers, explores liquidation (Mar 3, 2023)","sourceName":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://www.truckingdive.com/news/embark-lays-off-230-employees-explores-exit-strategy/644282/","title":"Embark to lay off 70% of its workforce as it explores an exit (Mar 2023)","sourceName":"Trucking Dive"},{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/25/applied-intuition-to-buy-autonomous-trucking-spac-embark-for-71m/","title":"Applied Intuition to buy Embark for $71M (May 25, 2023)","sourceName":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://www.freightwaves.com/news/embark-technology-goes-private-in-71m-deal","title":"Embark Technology goes private in a $71M deal (May 2023)","sourceName":"FreightWaves"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Founded","value":"2016, San Francisco, by Alex Rodrigues and Brandon Moak"},{"label":"Public","value":"SPAC via Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp II (2021, ~$5.2B valuation)"},{"label":"Historical peak","value":"Test/pilot freight runs WITH safety drivers (1.5M+ test miles); never reached sustained observer-free driverless commercial (2024 driver-out goal unmet)"},{"label":"Wind-down","value":"~70% layoffs late 2022; wound down March 2023; IP sold to Applied Intuition (~$71M, 2023)"}],"aliases":["Embark","Embark Technology"],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T12:24:12.400Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T12:24:12.400Z"}},"version":null,"location":{"id":"45f67762-10f4-4255-be84-45c73efe25f9","name":"Texas","slug":"texas","kind":"state","parentLocationId":"aa8b9c05-c836-4021-801f-59801970401e","lat":null,"lng":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","aliases":["TX"],"collisionRisk":"high","reviewNote":null,"createdAt":"2026-05-31T04:22:22.644Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-31T04:22:22.644Z"},"operator":null,"owner":null,"derived":{"trustTier":"unverified","currentPosture":null}}