Self-Driving Trucking Firm TuSimple Appoints CFO, Reconstitutes Audit Panel

TuSimple Holdings Inc appointed interim financial chief Eric Tapia on a permanent basis and reconstituted its audit committee, the self-driving trucking firm said on Friday, weeks after an internal probe revealed links to a China-backed firm.

The company reappointed former chief executive Cheng Lu as its top boss last month after it fired his predecessor Xiaodi Hou following the probe.

The investigation by its board revealed that some employees spent paid hours last year working for Hydron Inc, a startup working on autonomous trucks mostly in China.

TuSimple also said on Friday it had appointed three new independent board members last week.

"With the appointment of Eric as permanent CFO, three new independent board members in the last week, the reconstitution of the Board's Audit Committee and other board committees, we're moving forward with our plan to restore accountability and transparency to this company," CEO Lu said.

Tapia joined TuSimple in 2021, and has been the interim chief financial officer since July 7.

Shares of San Diego, California-based TuSimple edged higher in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)