Otto, a tech startup founded by former Google and Tesla Motors, Inc. engineers, has just exited stealth, and it looking to revolutionize the commercial trucking industry by offering inexpensive retrofits that can turn existing tractor-trailers into self-driving vehicles.

“We’re a team comprised of the sharpest minds in self-driving technology, and we are committed to reimagining transportation — not just improving it,” Otto co-founders Anthony Levandowski and Lior Ron wrote in a blog post. “At the heart of our vision is the belief that self-driving tech is the key for creating a more sustainable, productive — and above all, safer — transportation future.”

Levandowski and Ron noted that there are over 4.3 million commercial trucks travelling on US highways today, and they account for 70 percent of all cargo moved in the country. According to the Otto co-founders, commercial trucks are also responsible for 9.5 percent of driving fatalities, meaning that roughly eight people die each day as a result of a commercial truck accident.

Otto’s goal is to allow commercial cargo transportation companies to easily convert their trucks into self-driving vehicles by installing sensors, software, and other enhancements that will not only make shipping safer, but also more cost effective.

Aside from allowing the vehicles to drive longer hours without the risk of human error, there area also a number of challenges unique to commercial cargo transport that normal drivers do not face.

For example, a number of states have route restrictions in place that limit the size and types of commercial vehicles permitted on their roads. Sometimes these restrictions are permanent, such as the rule that oversize vehicles must drive around Atlanta on I-285 rather than passing directly through the city, but there are a number of other restrictions that change from day to day due to construction, weather, and so on.

These restrictions are extremely difficult for individual drivers to keep up with, especially when they must drive through multiple states in a single day, but self-driving vehicles could, in theory, have these restrictions automatically transmitted to them, ensuring that they remain on the correct routes.

Levandowski and Ron said that by focusing on self-driving commercial trucks first, Otto hopes that the technology will earn wider acceptance with the public, ultimately paving the way for more self-driving vehicles in general.

You can watch a video of Otto’s retrofits in action below:

Screenshot via YouTube | Otto