Thieves steal Nvidia‑branded trailers, find 20 tons of sand
The trailers advertised PlusAI's self-driving truck work, so thieves broke them open expecting valuable hardware. Police found them nearby with the sand still inside.
Thieves stole two trailers bearing Nvidia and PlusAI branding from PlusAI's Fremont, California warehouse late Wednesday, the SF Standard reported. Warehouse workers discovered the theft Thursday morning. The trailers had held about 20 tons of sand, which the self-driving truck company uses to simulate real freight during testing.
One trailer carried the slogan "Autonomy built for the long haul," the SF Standard reported. Security footage showed two unidentified tractors pulling the trailers away. "The very apparent branding probably made them think there was very valuable equipment back there," PlusAI marketing vice president Lauren Kwan said.
A friend of PlusAI's vice president of legal spotted the trailers outside a Newark office building, minutes from the warehouse, and sent a photo, the SF Standard reported. Newark police recovered both trailers. Hoodline reported that their locks appeared forced open, with the sand cargo left untouched inside.
PlusAI's SuperDrive autonomous driving system has been trained on more than seven million miles of real-world driving, according to Hoodline. No arrests have been made, and Fremont police are still investigating.