How free-wheeling Texas became the self-driving trucking industry's promised land

AV trucks are parked in a Gatik AI facility at AllianceTexas, a 27,000 acre business complex boasting some of the country?s largest freight operations, in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S., May 18, 2022. Picture taken May 18, 2022. REUTERS/Cooper Neill

FORT WORTH, Texas (Reuters) - For companies working to make self-driving trucks a near-term reality, all roads lead to Texas.

Vast highways, a booming freight market and, crucially, the least restrictive laws governing autonomous vehicles (AVs) in the United States have turned Texas into the industry's most desired location.