PALO ALTO, Calif. – Daimler Trucks has acquired a minority stake in the U.S. software firm Luminar Technologies as part of a strategic partnership to bring Level 4 autonomous trucks to the market, the company said Friday.

Daimler’s U.S. subsidiary, Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA), and Torc Robotics, part of the company’s Autonomous Technology Group (ATG), will collaborate with Luminar in developing new self-driving solutions.

The teams will work closely together in order to enhance lidar sensing, perception and system-level performance for Daimler trucks moving at highway speeds, Daimler Trucks said.

“Luminar has pioneered a critical enabling technology for bringing autonomous vehicles to the road, and we’re excited to work closely with them to drive this technology forward,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, head of ATG.

“Our common goal is to enable safe deployment of highly autonomous trucks and shape the future of the trucking and logistics industry at large.”

Austin Russell, founder and CEO of Luminar, said the partnership with Daimler Trucks will spearhead the next era of commercial transportation, taking the multi-trillion global trucking and logistics industry head-on.”

“The business case for autonomous trucking is incredibly strong, and now is seeing the first OEM program to bring it to the world.”

The partnership will extend beyond providing critical automotive technology solutions, Daimler Trucks said.

“As part of their joint commitment to safety, the companies will also collaborate on safety standards and operating practices, and make future policy advancements and safety enhancements as a result of the joint program,” it added.