# Cracking the code on autonomous trucking

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2026-05-07
- Length: 43m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking

## Summary

Eyal Cohen, founder and CEO of Humble Robotics, explains why autonomous trucking has lagged behind passenger vehicles due to the high stakes of highway edge cases and the limitations of retrofitting existing tractors. He details Humble's clean-sheet design of a fully cabless, electric Class 8 truck that combines the tractor and trailer into a single smart platform to optimize unit economics and safety. Cohen discusses the company's shift from LiDAR-heavy systems to a camera-centric approach leveraging Visual Language Models (VLMs) and the regulatory challenges of deploying a vehicle with no windshield or steering wheel.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking#t=7) Introduction: Eyal Cohen and Humble Robotics
- [4:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking#t=260) Why Autonomous Trucking is Harder than Passenger Cars
- [12:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking#t=758) The Evolution from LiDAR to Visual Language Models
- [22:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking#t=1349) The Case for a Cabless, Clean-Sheet Vehicle Design
- [28:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking#t=1704) Unit Economics and the Electric Trucking Challenge
- [41:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking#t=2463) Regulatory Landscape and Future Rollout

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Humble Robotics (company)
- Waymo (company)
- Otto (company)
- Starsky Robotics (company)
- Aurora (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Visual Language Models (other)
- LiDAR (tool)
- NHTSA (other)
- FMCSA (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 33 | From Autonomous Golf Carts to Semis: The Journey to the Self-Driving Truck](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck) (Moore's Lobby)
- [When trucks drive themselves with Chris Urmson of Aurora](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2023-07-20-when-trucks-drive-themselves-with-chris-urmson-of-aurora) (How I Built This)
- [Autonomous vehicle technology deep dive at John Deere and Zoox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-04-18-autonomous-vehicle-technology-deep-dive-at-john-deere-and-zoox) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Kodiak Robotics & autonomous trucks, Anthony Levandowski going to jail](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2020-08-05-kodiak-robotics-autonomous-trucks-anthony-levandowski-going-to-jail) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [The Role of AI in the Trucking Industry with Chris Torrence, CSO at Optym](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/over-the-air/2023-09-14-the-role-of-ai-in-the-trucking-industry-with-chris-torrence-cso-at-optym) (Over the Air)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2026-05-07-cracking-the-code-on-autonomous-trucking. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.