Austin, TX
Texas Toll Road Will Be Test Ground for Autonomous Big Rigs
(TNS) — Self-driving truck firm Einride will soon begin using a Central Texas highway as a test bed for its purpose-built, cabless autonomous freight vehicles.
Einride is partnering with SH 130 Concession Co. to position the Texas 130 toll road, which connects Austin and San Antonio, as a corridor for autonomous freight operations.
Founded in 2016, Einride has more than 25 enterprise customers across North America, Europe and the Middle East. Based in Sweden with U.S. headquarters in Austin, it boasts a proprietary AI platform with a zero-traffic incident safety record.
“This partnership with SH 130 Concession Co. marks an important step forward in proving the scalability and economic benefits of electric and autonomous freight,” said Einride CEO Roozbeh Charli. “By establishing this test bed, Einride is further cementing Austin, Texas, as a hub for our American autonomous freight operations, collaborating with infrastructure operators and regulators to scale safe, performance-based deployments.”
In an announcement Tuesday, Einride said it will test autonomous highway operations on Segments 5 and 6 of Texas 130, which start at the Texas 45 SE split south of Austin near Mustang Ridge and extend through Seguin to I-10. The Texas Department of Transportation operates the northern segments of Texas 130.
Its tests arrive in a complex regulatory environment, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Congress considering how to address the rapidly increasing number of autonomous vehicles on city streets and highways.
But Einride and SH 130 Concession Co. say their partnership provides a strategic route for fleets to move freight reliably through the region.
Einride, which had a fleet of about 200 autonomous and electric trucks as of late 2025, says it operates one of the world’s largest electric heavy-duty fleets. Its autonomous trucks are in daily operation with customers in both the U.S and in Europe. Some of its work has included PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay food distribution near Memphis and transport of finished goods between GE Appliances’ manufacturing facility and warehouse in Selmer, Tenn.
Einride’s new partnership with the private company that operates and maintains the southern section of the state-owned highway could be a higher-stakes test of its autonomous tech.
SH 130 Concession recorded more than 12.6 million transactions on the roadway in 2023 and boasts itself as a safe and fast alternative to the congested Interstate 35 route through the region. The segment of the toll road Einride will use to test its vehicles has the nation’s highest speed limit at 85 mph.
To charge its vehicles, Einride and SH 130 Concession say they are drafting a blueprint for a next-generation rest stop. The stop will manage the autonomous trucks with high-capacity EV charging and specialized docking requirements.
The partners are also exploring the feasibility of integrating Einride’s optimization software, known as Saga AI, with SH 130 Concession’s digital ecosystem to handle data sharing and traffic management.
SH 130 Concession Co. CEO Ananth Prasad said the partnership supports the company’s push for new transportation technology in Texas.
“We’re actively working with freight customers, industry partners and TxDOT to implement new technology solutions,” he said in a statement. “And by aligning digital infrastructure, connectivity readiness, and future charging capacity, SH 130 Concession Company is advancing its ambition to establish the roadway as a nationally recognized route for autonomous freight movement.”
©2026 the San Antonio Express-News, Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As flood threats continue across parts of South Central Texas, Austin Pets Alive! has activated emergency response efforts to support animal shelters affected by the inclement weather.
In a social media post, APA! wrote, “We began offering aid last night, working to secure fosters for 10 dogs in the Castroville shelter, an open-air shelter that sits at the bottom of a valley.”
APA! said the situation escalated overnight with additional shelters reporting flooding. One shelter confirmed that floodwaters reached its facility, APA! added.
Communities overwhelmed due to weather include Uvalde, Castroville and Sabinal.
The nonprofit is asking the Austin community to foster, adopt or donate to free up capacity for animals displaced by the disaster. APA! needs to clear out its facilities to assist the animals in need of shelter.
Here are ways you can help:
- Adopt: APA! is offering a “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” on all animals.
- Foster: The shelter is seeking foster homes for a minimum of three weeks.
- Donate: Proceeds will fund vans and response teams setting up a staging and triage center at the heart of the disaster zone, along with an expanded stockpile of preventatives, PPE and additional supplies.
If you would like to donate, click here.
AUSTIN, Texas — With heavy rain expected across parts of Central Texas this week and flooding top of mind, the city of Austin is proposing to put more money toward flood mitigation improvements in next year’s budget.
The proposal would invest in new flood infrastructure, add staff, and help move flood mitigation projects forward, according to city leaders. Austin City Councilmember Ryan Alter said the investments are aimed at keeping the city prepared for future flooding.
Residents who live near waterways say they have seen how quickly conditions can change. David Haderspeck, who lives near Shoal Creek, said the creek “fills up pretty fast” and “gets a lot higher than you’d expect.” He said he has watched the water rise dramatically after rain.
“I’ve seen it come up probably 10 to 15 feet to the ordinary high-water mark,” he said.
This week, parts of Central Texas, including the Hill Country, are expected to get heavy downpours. While Austin is not expecting the same impacts as parts of the Hill Country, leaders said the city is using this year’s budget planning to continue investing in flood safety.
Alter said the city has the expertise to address flooding risks but needs to follow through on projects.
ALSO| Central Texas urged to prepare as heavy rainfall sits in forecast over next two days
“We have the experts. We just have to put the plans into practice, and that’s what we’re doing in this budget,” he said.
Under the budget proposal, the city would provide about $134.5 million for the Drainage Utility Fund, which helps pay for flood mitigation, drainage infrastructure and watershed protection efforts.
Alter said the proposal would shift more of the funding balance toward building new infrastructure.
“What we’re going to do is shift that balance a little bit more to building new infrastructure so that when we do have large flooding events, we’ve got that infrastructure in place to keep people safe,” he said.
The proposal also adds staff and invests in both new and existing flood mitigation projects across the city.
Asked whether the proposed investments would be enough moving forward, Alter said, “I do…I think we’re doing the right thing and just making sure that our residents have the infrastructure to stay safe.”
Alter said heavy rain cannot be prevented, but the city’s goal is to have infrastructure in place to help keep people safe when it happens.
FILE – LinkedIn logos are displayed on an iPhone and computer screen. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, Texas – The Texas Attorney General’s office has opened an investigation into LinkedIn over allegations that the professional networking platform misleads consumers with advertising and profiting from misleading or fake job listings, otherwise known as “ghost jobs.”
LinkedIn investigation
In this photo illustration a Linkedin logo seen displayed on a mobile phone. (Photo Illustration by Stanislav Kogiku/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
What we know:
Texas announced on Tuesday it has issued a Civil Investigative Demand (CID) seeking documents, data and internal communications related to LinkedIn’s advertising, marketing, job listing verification practices and its Premium subscription services.
The investigation centers on whether LinkedIn violated Texas’ consumer protection laws by promoting paid subscription services while allegedly failing to disclose that some job listings on the platform may not actually be representative of hiring opportunities.
What is a ‘ghost job’?
An image of a woman holding a cell phone in front of a LinkedIn logo displayed on a computer screen. On Tuesday, January 12, 2021, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Dig deeper:
LinkedIn is owned by Microsoft and the world’s largest professional networking platform, with more than 1 billion registered users worldwide.
A “ghost job” generally refers to a position advertised online that either is no longer available or that an employer has no immediate intention of filling. The attorney general’s office cited independent studies estimating that ghost jobs account for between one-fifth and one-third of online job postings.
Texas AG targets Premium Subscription Fees
Photographer: Mark Felix/Bloomberg via Getty Images
What they’re saying:
According to the office of the attorney general, LinkedIn does not independently verify the hiring status of most job listings on its platform. Ken Paxton’s office alleges that the company’s marketing for its Premium subscription services does not disclose that a significant number of postings could be inactive, unfilled or not reflect genuine employment opportunity.
“I will use every resource available to my office to help job-seeking Texans find and secure real employment opportunities,” Paxton said in a statement. “LinkedIn has a duty to provide the services it advertises and ensure that consumers paying for Premium subscriptions are receiving access to legitimate job postings.”
Texas officials said LinkedIn’s Premium Career and Premium Business subscriptions cost about $39.99 and $69.99 per month, respectively, and are marketed to jobseekers looking to improve their employment prospects.
What’s next:
The investigation does not include any formal allegations of wrongdoing, and no lawsuit has been filed.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
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