Starsky Robotics CEO and co-founder Stefan Seltz-Axmacher wants to solve the primary logistical challenge for the trucking industry by taking drivers off the road and putting them in an office.
Starsky Robotics is a self-driving truck startup. But its business model and approach is unlike other self-driving truck companies like Embark and Otto that have emerged in the past year.
The company, which has raised $3.75 million from Y Combinator, Sam Altman, Trucks VC, Data Collective and several other angel investors, has a dual approach: Use software, radar, and computer vision cameras to allow long haul trucks to drive autonomously on the highway, and then turn the job over to a trained “driver” using a remote control to bring the truck from the exit to its final destination.
“Unless you’re getting the driver out of the truck, you’re not solving anything,” Seltz-Axmacher told Fortune. “It’s really hard to get drivers; there’s a shortage of about 75,000 drivers right now and the turnover is 100% per year.”