Two Nvidia-branded trailers belonging to autonomous-trucking company PlusAI were stolen from outside its warehouse in Fremont, California, on September 23, 2026.
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trailers → brand → September
The trailers were associated with PlusAI's work with Nvidia on autonomous-driving technology, but instead of carrying GPUs, servers or other expensive AI equipment, each contained about 20,000 pounds of sand.
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each → associate → sand
The pair therefore carried roughly 40,000 pounds, or 20 tons, of sand.
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pair → carry → sand
PlusAI uses the material as simulated cargo during autonomous-truck testing to reproduce the weight of real freight.
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PlusAI → use → freight
The trailers were later discovered in nearby Newark after an acquaintance of a PlusAI executive spotted them, while police continued investigating the theft.
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police → discover → theft
California thieves found sand inside the Nvidia-branded trailers
The two trailers were parked outside PlusAI's Fremont facility when they were taken overnight.
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they → find → facility
Their locks were broken and the thieves apparently arrived with tractor units, connected them to the trailers and drove away.
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thieves → break → trailers
Both trailers prominently displayed PlusAI and Nvidia branding, reflecting the companies' work in autonomous trucking and artificial intelligence.
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trailers → display → trucking
The company's autonomous-driving truck cabs remained inside the facility and were not stolen.
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cabs → drive → facility
The stolen trailers were later located in Newark, California, roughly half a mile from PlusAI's Fremont warehouse.
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trailers → steal → warehouse
What was inside the stolen trailers
The trailers contained about 20,000 pounds of sand each, giving them a combined load of approximately 40,000 pounds, or 20 tons.
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trailers → steal → pounds
The sand was being used as simulated cargo during PlusAI's testing programme.
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sand → use → programme
Heavy simulated cargo allows autonomous-truck developers to reproduce the conditions of a loaded commercial vehicle without using an actual freight shipment.
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developers → simulate → shipment
The added weight can be used to test how a truck responds during acceleration, braking, turning and other driving conditions.
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truck → add → acceleration
Why PlusAI uses sand to test autonomous trucks
PlusAI develops autonomous-driving technology for commercial trucks, meaning its vehicles must be tested under conditions that resemble real-world freight operations.
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that → use → operations
Vehicle behaviour can change significantly depending on how much weight a truck is carrying.
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truck → change → weight
Using sand provides a practical way to create a controlled and consistent load.
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Using → use → load
Engineers can adjust the amount of weight while testing different driving scenarios, helping them study how the autonomous system and vehicle respond when operating under the demands of a loaded truck.
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system → adjust → truck
How the stolen trailers were found
The trailers were eventually spotted in Newark, close to PlusAI's Fremont facility.
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trailers → steal → facility
An acquaintance of a PlusAI executive reportedly noticed the trailers and sent a photograph to the executive after recognising them.
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acquaintance → notice → them
The company contacted authorities, who located and recovered both trailers.
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who → contact → trailers
The sand was still inside, allowing PlusAI to recover both the vehicles and their testing cargo.
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PlusAI → allow → vehicles
What police said about the theft
The Fremont Police Department investigated the theft after the trailers were reported missing.
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trailers → say → theft
Security footage reportedly showed two unidentified tractor units near the PlusAI facility around the time of the incident.
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footage → show → incident
PlusAI said the tractor units did not belong to the company.
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units → say → company
Investigators were working to identify the people involved and determine how the trailers were taken from the facility.
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trailers → work → facility
The connection between PlusAI and Nvidia
The Nvidia branding on the trailers reflected the companies' collaboration in autonomous trucking.
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branding → reflect → trucking
PlusAI works with Nvidia on computing and artificial-intelligence technology used in autonomous vehicles.
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PlusAI → work → vehicles
Nvidia's technology is widely used in AI development and autonomous-driving systems, making its branding highly recognisable in the technology industry.
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branding → use → industry
However, the trailers themselves were being used by PlusAI for autonomous-truck testing, with the confirmed cargo consisting of sand rather than Nvidia computing equipment.
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cargo → use → equipment
The theft produced an unexpected discovery when two trailers carrying prominent technology-company branding turned out to be loaded with 40,000 pounds of sand.
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trailers → produce → sand
The trailers had been taken from PlusAI's Fremont facility but were found only about half a mile away in Newark.
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trailers → take → Newark
Both trailers and their simulated cargo were recovered, while investigators continued working to identify the people responsible for the theft.
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investigators → simulate → theft
The Aporia
