Tesla’s Full Self-Driving software is officially expanding beyond consumer vehicles and heading to Class 8 commercial freight. During the Q2 earnings call on Wednesday, Elon Musk confirmed that the Tesla Semi is slated to receive FSD in the near future.
"We expect to get self-driving working on the Tesla Semi probably around the end of this year or early next year," Musk said during the call. "I just don’t want it to be a distraction on the march of nines of safety for self-driving on the Model 3/Y and Cybercab. It will definitely be working next year."
Going by Musk’s comments and the fact that Tesla’s Semi factory in Nevada is still scaling up production, next year looks to be the more plausible timeline. Musk stressed that he wants engineers focused on FSD for the Model 3/Y and Cybercab robotaxi for now, noting that Tesla aims to have FSD ready for the Semi right as high-yield manufacturing kicks in. This official confirmation comes just weeks after Tesla Semi units were spotted testing on public roads with ground-truthing equipment, typically used for FSD validation.
Built for Autonomy
When Tesla unveiled the refreshed Semi last fall with an autonomy-ready tag, it laid the groundwork for this software rollout. The Semi could become the first new vehicle line to gain FSD support since the software rolled out to the Cybertruck back in 2024 (the upcoming Cybercab doesn’t count since it will launch with autonomy built-in from day one).
Tesla’s refreshed Class 8 electric truck comes in a Standard Range model with 325 miles of range and a Long Range variant offering 500 miles while fully loaded at 82,000 lbs. The vehicle is powered by a three-motor drivetrain on the rear axle, supported by 10 external cameras and an internal cabin camera (check out our full breakdown of the Tesla Semi’s specs to learn more). While those cameras are currently used for active safety features like automatic emergency braking, they will eventually enable FSD on the Semi, bringing it in line with Tesla's consumer fleet.
Inside, the new cabin offers a driver-centric setup featuring two 16-inch touchscreens flanking a central driving position, redesigned side windows that drivers can now actually reach out of, integrated wireless phone chargers, and repositioned cup holders based on freight fleet feedback.
Easing Driver Strain and Transforming Freight
In the short term, FSD (Supervised) on the Semi is designed to take the physical toll off truck drivers navigating long highway stretches across the U.S., making long-haul trucking safer and less straining.
As the technology matures toward unsupervised autonomy, Musk said it could help address the ongoing truck driver shortage. With customer orders quickly stacking up and assembly lines kicking into gear in Nevada, bringing Tesla’s suite of autonomous driving features to commercial haulers could quickly change how long-distance freight moves.
