From flying cars to driverless trucks to drone deliveries, the future of mobility could change the way we live. But a lot of R&D is needed first, and it’s happening big-time at the Mobility Innovation Zone—the “MIZ”—at AllianceTexas in North Fort Worth. All the MIZ has been missing is some extra Aggie know-how, and now it’s arrived: Dallas-based real estate company Hillwood has announced a research partnership between the MIZ and the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI).
“Our partnership with TTI is a natural pairing for the next phase of research and development at the MIZ, and we cannot wait to see where our partnership will take us in changing the mobility landscape of the region and nation,” said Ian Kinne, director of logistics innovation for Hillwood, in a statement. “With unmatched expertise in its field, TTI ensures we have the research-backed results needed to not only set the standard for, but also make significant advancements in, budding mobility technology.”
In its new role, TTI will conduct research, manage strategic initiatives, and serve as a think tank for new mobility opportunities at AllianceTexas.
A proving ground like nowhere else
Hillwood believes the MIZ offers something found nowhere else in America: a sprawling proving ground that provides partner organizations the scale, infrastructure, and environment for the commercialization of emerging air and surface mobility technologies.
TTI’s agency director Greg Winfree couldn’t agree more. “The location and capabilities that the MIZ offers provide an unparalleled sandbox for research and development of the technologies that will move business, goods and people forward,” he said in the statement.
Winfree said the research partnership reinforces TTI’s commitment to testing and scaling innovations that impact the way we live.
TTI packs an R&D punch
TTI is America’s largest higher-education-affiliated transportation research agency. Its expertise spans engineering, planning, economics, policy, public engagement, landscape architecture, environmental sciences, data sciences, social sciences, and more.
With all that coming to the MIZ, helping a package deliver itself should be a breeze, right?
The new partnership increases Texas A&M’s presence in Tarrant County, expanding upon TTI’s Arlington office and the Texas A&M Law School in Fort Worth.
Staggering numbers are driving mobility R&D
Think tanks and R&D are about more than pure research. The true destination is commercialization—turning these sci-fi ideas into daily realities by testing and scaling them.
Autonomous trucking could be a huge game-changer in the $1.6 trillion U.S. freight market, since there are currently 20 billion miles of unused truck capacity each year.
The eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) passenger market is projected to grow to $17.7 billion by 2040.
So it’s no wonder that since 2014, there’s been a 76 percent annual growth rate in funding for logistics startups.
Addressing commercialization challenges
Kinne told us the MIZ-TTI partnership will address the challenges of emerging tech commercialization in a multitude of ways, “particularly in how we build infrastructure to support what’s to come [and] how we will inform and advise policymakers, NPOs, and public and private companies on how to regulate and use it.”
The partnership will also address “how we work with other businesses applying mobility innovation so we can all work together to improve supply chain, efficiency, quality of life, and better use of public funds in the transportation system,” he said.
For instance, Kinne says the MIZ will be focusing on the eventual adoption and commercialization of eVTOL passenger taxi services, so it’s coordinating with NASA and the FAA on that.
Tech pioneers now at work at the MIZ
While TTI unpacks their bags, other tech pioneers are already deep into projects at AllianceTexas. In February, Fort Worth-based Bell Textron launched its Autonomous Pod Transport operations, offering the first point-to-point unmanned aircraft system package delivery demonstration in North Texas.
Autonomous trucking startup TuSimple also has an active presence at Alliance Texas, offering autonomous trucking operations that run throughout the “Texas Triangle” freight corridor.
Other announced partners currently operating in the MIZ include Kodiak, ITS ConGlobal, BNSF, Phantom, Gatik, Deloitte, and Embark.
Then there are the shhhhhh! companies—some MIZ projects are veiled by NDA secrecy. Kinne says they will help address “the entire mobility pipeline from first mile, last mile, middle mile, logistics and inland port operations.” We hope to be able to report on them in the future.
The biggest surprise: it’s all coming fast
We asked Kinne what will surprise people most about mobility innovation. His answer: the speed and scale in which it will be deployed in things like autonomous long-haul trucking.
“We’ll see large advancements surrounding first and last mile technologies and the infrastructure in and around ports,” he said, “and also the advancement of unmanned aircraft systems in the delivery of packages.”
Texas will be one of the first to see big changes.
“We’ll see ancillary and tangent infrastructure improvements in energy and electrification, the deployment of next generation data and wireless communications such as broadband, and long-haul network capacities and utilization,” Kinne told us.
“We’ll also see the next iteration of 5G, and our private or public wireless communications networks will be even more robust. Given that, we’ll also see an increased demand for local data centers. Overall, this will enhance the efficiency, reliability and resiliency we’ve built into the supply chain, which will benefit customers of all levels.”
Private capital is leading the way
It takes money to drive all this, and Kinne says there’s so much flowing now, it’s driving up the speed of change.
“Presently, we’re in an unparalleled situation as private capital is leading the development and advancement of emerging mobility and automation technologies at extraordinarily fast levels,” he said. “Private investors are pushing for the adoption of new technology very quickly.”
Kinne says the MIZ is uniquely positioned as the ‘do tank’ that allows companies to commercialize advanced logistics solutions in a supportive and collaborative environment.
AllianceTexas’ multi-modal platform
AllianceTexas is a 27,000-acre industrial, mixed-use, and residential development. Its air and ground logistics assets include a premier intermodal hub, urban airspace at Fort Worth’s Alliance Airport, and interoperability across supply chain nodes—enabling a full spectrum of endeavors from first to last mile.
In addition, AllianceTexas says it is home to more than 525 companies which have built more than 50 million square feet and created over 62,000 jobs.
Why North Texas is an innovation leader
“in North Texas, the existing infrastructure is extremely unique, and our businesses in the region, and AllianceTexas in particular, are unparalleled in their willingness and cooperation to improve resiliency and reliability,” Kinne said.” North Texas has long been a leading market for trucked freight as well as boasts a deep aerospace workforce.”
“There’s no better place for innovators to move from research and development to testing and commercialization, and we believe that the MIZ is the best positioned environment to give these emerging technologies the wings to fly.”
Now that the Texas A&M Transportation Institute is on the case, a lot more action—and breaking news—may be flying out of there soon.
A California autonomous trucking company’s new North Texas site is open as it looks to expand eastward.
TuSimple has added a facility in AllianceTexas in Fort Worth to support the growing reach of its “freight network,” it announced on Wednesday.
“We're very optimistic,” said Lee White, vice president of Strategy at TuSimple, in an interview. “Alliance is a great facility for us. … It's in the right place.”
The new site at AllianceTexas adds over 50 new transportation jobs to the local community, including safety drivers, maintenance technicians and operations personnel. The company has over 900 workers overall and is based in San Diego, according to White.
The new Dallas-area site is the first of three steps for a national network for shipping freight by 2024. The locale will serve as a key hub for its push into more states including Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina, according to White. It also buttresses an expansion in Texas.
“We see this Alliance facility as really our anchor to our operational growth moving eastward,” White said.
The opening of the new site, which is in addition to a locale for TuSimple at the DFW airport, is six months ahead of schedule.
The new effort will continue the company’s testing of autonomous trucks that are using TuSimple’s added technology. There are two people in the trucks, including a safety driver and test engineer.
The company has an agreement with Navistar for autonomous trucks in 2024, White said.
“The autonomous freight network gives customers access to a low-cost, safe, middle-mile and long-haul solution," White said. "It's going to help solve some of the driver shortages that we have out there.”
The Dallas region has been attracting investments from other autonomous trucking companies. That includes Aurora, whose investors include Amazon, which said last month it will be moving into a second, larger office to accommodate its growing employee base and testing fleet. Earlier this week, J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Waymo announced a collaboration to autonomously move freight in a test run that includes Fort Worth.
Autonomous trucking software leader TuSimple is running six months ahead of schedule in building out the first phase of its autonomous freight network, and should reach Charlotte, North Carolina, and Orlando, Florida, by the end of the year.
TuSimple Holdings (NASDAQ: TSP) on Wednesday opened a new facility in Fort Worth, Texas, that extends its reach with supervised autonomous trucks and reduces the time it will take to complete the first part of a three-phase nationwide autonomous freight network by 2024.
“With each new expansion, we’re able to offer the advantages of our autonomous driving technology to new customers, while increasing value to existing customers,” Jim Mullen, TuSimple chief administrative officer, said in a press release. “As we rapidly expand, one of our biggest challenges has been keeping up with customer demand.”
Template for future expansion
The new purpose-built terminal in the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone will create 50 jobs for safety drivers, maintenance technicians and operations personnel. The terminal is the template for future TuSimple terminals.
“This moves us into Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Arkansas and Tennessee in the next six months,” Lee White, TuSimple vice president of strategy, told FreightWaves.
The terminal also will allow TuSimple to operate in the Texas Triangle, which includes Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. TuSimple has mapped 3,000 miles of Texas highways to match the needs of shippers and carriers, White said.
TuSimple currently hauls 100 loads a week between Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston.
Competitors Aurora Innovation, Waymo Via, Embark Trucks and Kodiak Robotics, which was first to begin autonomous runs in Texas, are all testing their software in the Lone Star State, where weather challenges are few and long stretches of road are plentiful.
Robot trucks rising
TuSimple recently completed 900 miles of monitored autonomous driving on a trip carrying watermelons from Nogales, Arizona, to Oklahoma City. Human drivers started and finished the journey, and safety drivers monitored the high-autonomy Level 4 software the rest of the time.
Because robot trucks are not required to follow hours-of-service regulations, the trip took about 10 hours less than it would have with strictly human drivers.
TuSimple’s Texas expansion comes as the logistics industry experiences a growing driver shortage due in part to trucks idled during the pandemic and the loss of 600,000 drivers flagged by the federal Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse.
Truck-related crashes declined 2% last year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, but the number of fatalities had risen for several years before that.
TuSimple has partnerships with several major carriers that serve on an executive advisory board. The carriers are also investors, along with Navistar International Corp. (NYSE: NAV), which is partnering with TuSimple to bring a driverless truck to market in 2024. TuSimple will conduct a “driver out” pilot in Arizona in the fourth quarter.
A frantic amount of activity takes place at freight terminals and depots. Heavy machinery and enormous equipment pass each other as billions of dollars’ worth of goods and commodities are exchanged day and night. At such workplaces, the actual physical presence of a human worker has been crucial and imperative.
The latest in logistics technology now has provided the ability to operate industrial equipment on-site with no humans within sight. The once abstract idea of working from home for industrial workers – a.k.a, “teleoperation” – is slowly turning into reality, of which Fort Worth could be at the forefront.
When ITS ConGlobal (ITSC), one of the world’s largest operator of intermodal and depot terminals, expanded to North Texas in January with a new 5,000-square foot office within AllianceTexas’ Mobility Innovation Zone, it was not to run business as usual.
“We are honored to welcome ITS ConGlobal, one of the nation’s top technology companies in the logistics industry, to the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone,” said Russell Laughlin, executive vice president of Hillwood, developer of AllianceTexas. “We’re looking forward to seeing how the company will leverage all the MIZ has to offer as it operates in complex industrial terminal environments.”
ITS ConGlobal ITSC offers customers tailored intermodal solutions and is deeply interconnected within North America’s intermodal and container supply chain infrastructure.
The Mobility Innovation Zone was launched as a first-of-its-kind “do tank,” leading the nation in smart infrastructure deployment to create a digital and physical commercialization environment for partner companies.
The Illinois-based company has operations in 127 locations across North America and lifts about 8.5 million shipments and about 2 million vehicles, each year. This year, ITSC expects to deploy teleoperation capabilities that enable various industrial jobs to become office jobs.
One of the first operations to transpire at the Fort Worth facility would involve drivers sitting in the Fort Worth office being able to control a yard truck in a port in Oakland, California – more than 1,600 miles away.
The technology comes from Phantom Auto, a Silicon Valley-based startup that is pioneering teleoperation techniques and software.
Phantom Auto cofounder Elliot Katz told the Business Press the technology functions as a “human-in-the-loop” system, meaning a human workforce is still required to get the job done. It’s largely different from A.I.-powered autonomous technologies.
“The thing our customers’ workforce is excited about is this idea that someone, let’s say, who’s been operating a yard truck for the last 20 years, they’ve been doing so outside, maybe in Wisconsin in the middle of the winter,” Katz explained. “Flexing that exact same driving muscle, they would [now] do so from a nice warm, cozy remote operation center, where they can drink a cup of coffee and be with their colleagues.”
Complete autonomy in terminals or port warehouse settings is still thought to be underdeveloped and might only be possible in the distant future.
Phantom Auto’s human-in-the-loop technology integrates well in such an environment because the operations need complex maneuverings where sudden movements are always possible requiring attentive human senses. That was part of the reason why ITSC decided to partner with Phantom Auto to utilize its expertise, said ITSC CEO Brant Ring.
ITSC locked into a strategic partnership with Phantom Auto in December and also made an investment during the startup’s last funding round. Mid-January of this year ITSC received delivery at its Oakland depot of the first teleoperated yard truck from Phantom Auto.
ITSC owns and operates about 30 container yards across North America.
The company recently opened a 5,000-square-foot office at AllianceTexas’ Mobility Innovation Zone, the cutting-edge development area in Fort Worth to build and scale mobility and smart infrastructure technologies. ITSC further plans to open a new depot – complimenting the office – at AllianceTexas and pilot more of Phantom Auto’s teleoperation capabilities.
“Over time, I would expect our presence to grow here and leverage the talent, the skilled workforce, the specialized infrastructure,” Ring told Business Press in an interview. “In all, the support for growth and innovation, we expect to leverage that.”
Apart from the yard truck, ITSC expects to soon roll out teleoperation capabilities in various other equipment, like, forklifts, cranes, chassis, as well as workforce shuttle vehicles.
Further down the road, those capabilities will expand and incorporate even commercial movements. Trailers and containers would be transported in and out of ITSC’s depot to neighboring warehouses, distribution centers and rail terminals via remote-controlled consoles inside the office, or possibly at employees’ homes in the future.
Ring said a “significant” portion of its core business will be managed from the Fort Worth office. It would include field operations and execution.
ITSC is highly involved in the rail intermodal terminal service sector and works with almost all the major North American railroads, including Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific and Fort Worth-headquartered BNSF.
Network execution of ITSC’s rail sector will be carried out of Fort Worth, as many rail operation managers will work out of the AllianceTexas office. CEO Ring, who previously worked for BNSF as an executive, is based in Fort Worth.
FORT WORTH, Texas (Feb. 1, 2021) – Hillwood and Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, demonstrated a point-to-point unmanned aircraft system (UAS) package delivery in North Texas at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone. The Bell Autonomous Pod Transport (APT) flew across the Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ), and delivered a package to a landing area, demonstrating its future commercial capabilities.
Unlike anywhere else in the nation, the MIZ provides the scale, infrastructure and perfect backdrop for the commercialization of budding technologies in air mobility. Launching from the MIZ Flight Test Center, flying in complex airspace and landing in Pecan Square, Hillwood Communities’ tech-forward, master-planned community in Northlake, Texas, the APT, which is designed to be capable of various missions from package delivery to critical medical transport and disaster relief, flew a preprogrammed four-mile route through the MIZ.
“This successful test of Bell’s APT at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone highlights the potential for UAS to complete complex missions, moving the needle closer to connecting logistics operations directly to consumers,” said Ross Perot, Jr., chairman of Hillwood. “Together, we are carving a path forward for future commercial operations to solve the supply chain challenges our world currently faces.”
Taking off on its voyage, the APT initiated a vertical takeoff, and then rotated to fly on its wing, becoming nearly silent to the ground below. The APT reached a maximum altitude of 300 feet above ground level. Its route included flying near I-35W and miles of unpopulated fields as the aircraft transitioned in and out of Class D and Class G airspace, demonstrating the types of airspace the APT could encounter during a commercial flight and the unique diversity of airspace within the MIZ.
“Bell is proud to play a role in the first North Texas UAS package delivery, and this demonstration showcases the future application of the APT 70 as a logistics carrier,” said Mitch Snyder, president and CEO of Bell. “Testing at the MIZ showcases how Bell’s autonomous vehicles could seamlessly integrate into logistics operations and unlock new opportunities for businesses.”
The APT is the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) family of vehicles Bell is developing and can reach speeds of more than 100 miles per hour and has a baseline payload capability of 70 pounds, recently demonstrating carrying payloads over 100 pounds. Bell’s APT systems allow for flexible mission capabilities while keeping operations simple, efficient and fast. It is capable of twice the speed and range of a conventional multirotor, and the vehicle is designed for rapid deployment, quick reconfiguration, and nimble battery swap and recharge.
Data collected during the demonstration will be used to support future standards development and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification guidelines.
Bell and Hillwood have joined forces with the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition (TRTC), a public-private partnership focused on advancing mobility innovation within the western portion of North Texas, to create a regional ecosystem supported by leaders in government and the private sector. Several of the region’s mayors and civic officials were on-hand for the APT flight.
“Our region is uniquely positioned to support companies engaged in the commercialization of new technologies in air mobility,” said Jeff Williams, mayor of Arlington, Texas and chairman of the TRTC. “We’re proud to support Bell and Hillwood in launching North Texas’ first point-to-point package delivery at the MIZ and look forward to their continued leadership in making our region an epicenter for mobility innovation.”
About the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone
The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) is a unique landscape built on collaboration and opportunity. That combination works to connect people, places and ideas that push innovation in surface and air mobility forward. By leveraging its one-of-a-kind infrastructure, the MIZ offers mobility visionaries full access to an unparalleled ecosystem, resources and partnerships essential to comprehensively test, scale, and commercialize the latest technologies. AllianceTexas itself is an unparalleled 27,000-acre regional success story and has transformed the North Texas economy by connecting it to global industry. Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development is anchored by the world’s first dedicated industrial airport, Fort Worth Alliance Airport, and hosts one of the nation’s premier intermodal hubs. AllianceTexas is also home to more than 525 companies which have built more than 50 million square feet and created over 62,000 jobs. For more information, please visit https://www.alliancetexasmiz.com/ and https://www.alliancetexas.com.
About Bell:
Thinking above and beyond is what we do. For more than 80 years, we’ve been reimagining the experience of flight – and where it can take us.
We are pioneers. We were the first to break the sound barrier and to certify a commercial helicopter. We were a part of NASA’s first lunar mission and brought advanced tiltrotor systems to market. Today, we’re defining the future of on-demand mobility.
Headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas – as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., – we have strategic locations around the globe. And with nearly one quarter of our workforce having served, helping our military achieve their missions is a passion of ours.
Above all, our breakthrough innovations deliver exceptional experiences to our customers. Efficiently. Reliably. And always, with safety at the forefront.
About Textron Inc.
Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands such as Bell, Cessna, Beechcraft, Hawker, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Arctic Cat, Textron Systems, and TRU Simulation + Training. For more information, visit: www.textron.com.
Certain statements in this press release may project revenues or describe strategies, goals, outlook or other non-historical matters; these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
FORT WORTH, Texas & SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Oct 28, 2020– Hillwood announced today that TuSimple, a global self-driving technology company with a focus on heavy-duty trucks, has secured property in AllianceTexas’ Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) in north Fort Worth. The MIZ was launched last year as a first-of-its-kind “do tank” in collaboration with Deloitte, leading the nation in smart infrastructure deployment to create a digital and physical commercialization environment for partner companies.
The Hillwood-developed truck terminal will support the company’s continued expansion into Texas and connects into TuSimple’s cross country autonomous freight corridor. The MIZ will also allow TuSimple to add new autonomous trucking operations within the “Texas Triangle,” and support freight movements between Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin. TuSimple currently ships freight for customers using autonomous trucks, moving from Arizona to Texas, and this new facility will enable the self-driving technology company to add new shipping lanes in 2021.
“We’re pleased to welcome TuSimple to Texas, adding the company to our nation-leading roster of firms engaged in the implementation of next generation mobility platforms,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott. “The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone provides the perfect infrastructure, landscape and scale for the company to launch their national expansion and ‘Texas Triangle’ operations.”
Hillwood and TuSimple will begin construction on the project in November 2020, with an expected completion by March of 2021. The new facility will house autonomous truck operations, service and administrative support. The building will feature technology service bays, in addition to general office space.
“TuSimple is the perfect partner for Hillwood in our efforts to accelerate innovative mobility technologies within the MIZ,” said Ross Perot, Jr., chairman of Hillwood. “As the industry leader in the deployment of autonomous long-haul truck routes, TuSimple brings this technology to AllianceTexas today, ensuring the MIZ will be a global focal point in the commercialization of next generation logistics solutions.”
Located on Eagle Parkway near Fort Worth Alliance Airport, TuSimple is the first autonomous trucking company to establish roots in the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone. TuSimple joins other MIZ companies, including Bell, BNSF and Deloitte, to support the initiative’s mission in creating the world’s premier, commercially-driven platform to test, scale and commercialize technologies and solutions related to the movement of goods and people.
“TuSimple is building the world’s first autonomous freight network and an important part of our strategy is to secure suitable locations for our terminals, and the Mobility Innovation Zone is exactly what we were looking for,” said Lee White, Vice President of Strategy, TuSimple.
The new operational facility will be the first urban logistics center in Texas for TuSimple. TuSimple’s existing Texas location provides dedicated support to UPS.
“We are thrilled that TuSimple has chosen to partner with Hillwood at the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone,” said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price. “TuSimple’s move to AllianceTexas underscores Fort Worth’s prominent role as a global destination for companies engaged in mobility innovation, while furthering our success in creating a business environment where these companies can grow and thrive in collaborative partnership with the public sector.”
Deloitte’s Future of Mobility team serves the entire ecosystem of companies working in and around mobility.
“Automation technologies will transform how we plan, source, make and deliver goods across the globe. We are excited to work with Hillwood and other MIZ collaborators in providing the right environment for deploying autonomous trucking to scale,” said Rasheq Zarif, Future of Mobility Leader at Deloitte. “AllianceTexas is expediting the commercial scaling of automated trucking through various transportation modes, a diverse set of stakeholders, and a collaborative approach to the business-driven advancement of automated logistics technologies.”
TuSimple plans to demonstrate driverless operations in 2021 and aims to transform the $800 billion U.S. trucking industry by enhancing safety, increasing efficiency and significantly reducing operating costs.
About the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone
The AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) is a unique landscape built on collaboration and opportunity. That combination works to connect people, places and ideas that push innovation in surface and air mobility forward. By leveraging its one-of-a-kind infrastructure, the MIZ offers mobility visionaries full access to an unparalleled testing ecosystem, resources and partnerships essential to comprehensively test, scale, and commercialize the latest technologies. AllianceTexas itself is an unparalleled 27,000-acre regional success story and has transformed the North Texas economy by connecting it to global industry. Hillwood’s AllianceTexas development is anchored by the world’s first dedicated industrial airport, Fort Worth Alliance Airport, and hosts one of the nation’s premier intermodal hubs. AllianceTexas is also home to more than 525 companies which have built more than 50 million square feet and created over 62,000 jobs. For more information, please visit https://www.alliancetexasmiz.com/ and https://www.alliancetexas.com.
About TuSimple
TuSimple is a global autonomous technology company revolutionizing the estimated $4 trillion global freight market. TuSimple has developed industry-leading autonomous technology specifically designed for semi-trucks, which has enabled the company to build the world’s first Autonomous Freight Network (“AFN”) in partnership with world-class shippers, carriers, fleet owners and truck hardware partners. TuSimple’s technology and AFN will make long-haul trucking significantly safer, more reliable, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly. For more information, please visit www.tusimple.com, and follow us on Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
The TuSimple press site, including videos and photos, can be found at https://www.tusimple.com/media.
Here are the innovators and disruptors in Dallas-Fort Worth who are having a breakout moment.
Each individual is a force to be reckoned with. All have the potential to disrupt industries, benefit society, or change the world. They are inventors, leaders, technologists, educators, and industry pioneers. They work at corporations, startups, nonprofits, multinationals, or universities, launching first-of-their-kind products and solving problems that have never been solved before. Look back on their milestones and dive into their plans for tomorrow. These are the people you need to know in Dallas-Fort Worth right now—they’re forging the future.
MOBILITY INNOVATOR
Russel Laughlin
Executive Vice President
Hillwood
A pioneer in mobility innovation regionally and statewide, Laughlin had a breakout moment in 2018 with the launch of the AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone in partnership with Deloitte. The “do tank” will serve as a venue for testing technology, including Uber Air’s air taxi (Hillwood is the vertical developer for Uber Elevate). In tandem with his Hillwood effort, the transportation proponent has elevated his role in the evolution of the industry. Last year, Laughlin spoke to trade groups about the push, and led the Tarrant Regional Transportation Coalition’s efforts to modernize its transportation agenda. In addition to his duties on the west side of DFW, the executive is heavily involved in Frisco Station, the 242-acre, high-density, mixed-use community along the Dallas North Tollway. At build out, the development will have over 5 million square feet of Class A office and medical space.
In October, Uber Elevate reaffirmed that North Texans likely will see its vertical takeoff air taxis cruising the skies over Dallas-Fort Worth by 2023. Advanced military aircraft and helicopters will continue to roll off North Texas assembly lines. And, millions of passengers will fly on Dallas-Fort Worth-based airlines to locales in the U.S. and across the globe.
All of those are signs that the aviation and aerospace industries in North Texas—some 900 companies strong—are continuing to grow and innovate. North Texas cities benefit from the corporations and businesses that call the region home, bringing with them tens of thousands of jobs, new residents, and a thriving economy.
From fighter jets and giant commercial airliners to luxurious corporate aircraft and technologically advanced helicopters and air taxis, Dallas-Fort Worth is at the forefront of the aviation industry.
Aviation is a driving force of the North Texas economy, credited with helping attract Fortune 500 companies, high-tech startups, and massive logistics hubs. By most accounts, aviation is a linchpin in the region’s booming real estate sector and a driving force behind high-tech manufacturing and research.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport alone pumps an estimated $37 billion into the local economy each year. Add in Dallas Love Field, Fort Worth Alliance Airport, a network of roughly 20 municipal and corporate airports, and some of the biggest aerospace manufacturers in the world, and it’s easy to see how aviation is in the captain’s seat of the region’s economic well-being.
“DFW grew up on aerospace. A lot of people don’t realize that,” Hillwood Executive Vice President Bill Burton says. “For many years, we had the third largest aviation employment base in the country. To us, it’s really not surprising that this would be a place where you see innovation in aerospace because it’s part of the history and evolution of aerospace.”
When the word aviation is attached to Dallas-Fort Worth, it conjures up a lot of famous names. Think American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Lockheed Martin, Bell Helicopter, Airbus, Rolls Royce, and Boeing, to name a few.
From the F-35 Lightning II assembly line in Fort Worth to Uber Elevate’s plans for an on-demand air taxi network connecting Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Frisco and downtown Dallas, North Texas continues to be on the cutting edge of aviation innovation. Here are the stories behind some of the industry’s biggest names.
Airports helped North Texas take off
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport opened for commercial flights in January 1974 at a cost of roughly $700 million. The previous September, an open house and dedication ceremony was held featuring the first landing of a supersonic Concorde airliner in the United States and an Air France aircraft en route from Venezuela to Paris.
Since its opening, DFW Airport has grown into the fourth-busiest airport in North America by number of passengers. It is the largest hub of Fort Worth-based American Airlines, which has flown out of the airport from its first days. Today, more than 80 airlines and freight carriers operate from the airport, bringing people and commerce into North Texas.
Like Kubota Tractor Corp. in Grapevine, many companies have located their headquarters, logistics, and fulfillment operations near DFW Airport, which covers 17,207 acres and is larger than the island of Manhattan. It’s the second-largest airport in the United States by land area.
As big as it is, DFW Airport is still growing—planning to build a sixth terminal (Terminal F) and renovate Terminal C to the tune of $3 to $3.5 billion by 2025. Airport CEO Sean Donohue said the new terminal will add up to 24 more gates at DFW.
At the expansion announcement in May, then-Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings lauded American Airlines’ support for the airport’s growth because it is good for North Texas.
“To have a partner like American Airlines that believes in this region—that believes in this airport—says that the growth cycle of this town is going to continue to grow,” Rawlings said.
When Uber announced it would develop and test an urban air taxi service in Dallas, the Perot family’s Hillwood was among the first companies to sign on as one of the ride-hailing company’s business partners.
Now the real estate developer wants to turn its giant master-planned development north of Fort Worth into a test bed for futuristic transportation.
The Dallas-based company said Monday that it will collaborate with companies, regulators, entrepreneurs and academics at AllianceTexas to deploy and commercialize new kinds of mobility, from drones to autonomous cars. Hillwood is working with consulting firm Deloitte to develop a business model for the “mobility innovation zone.”
AllianceTexas covers about 26,000 acres — larger than the island of Manhattan. It is already home to many transportation and supply chain-related hubs. It’s anchored by Fort Worth Alliance Airport, an industrial facility that opened 30 years ago. It includes over 162 miles of major arterial roads and state and federal highways. The Federal Aviation Administration’s southwest regional headquarters is based there.
More than 500 global and regional companies have a presence at AllianceTexas, from Fidelity Investments to J.C. Penney. BNSF Railway, which transports new cars and other large cargo across the country, has an intermodal facility there. It’s home to a Facebook data center and a new regional hub for Amazon Air, which is under construction. FedEx and UPS have large sort hubs there, too.
The large development includes neighborhoods of thousands of single-family homes and apartments, along with shopping centers, restaurants and hospitals.
Hillwood president Mike Berry said the idea for the mobility innovation zone was born out of conversations with some of the developer’s big industrial customers and Uber. He said AllianceTexas is an ideal place for testing because of its massive size and mix of commercial and residential development.
The effort will initially focus on two areas, Berry said: moving freight with autonomous trucks and testing drones and vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, such as Uber’s urban air taxis, in a controlled airspace.
In the future, though, Berry imagines a wider range of experimentation. For example, he said, Amazon, UPS or FedEx could test robots that deliver packages to nearby houses and apartments.
Hillwood is working with Uber to build skyports — stations where urban air taxis can take off and land in North Texas. The Dallas area’s first skyport is under construction at Frisco Station. The mixed-use development by Hillwood is near The Star, the Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility and headquarters.
Uber is hosting a two-day summit this week in Washington, D.C., to update policymakers and business partners about the development of the urban air taxi service.