June 5 (Reuters) - Plus Automation will go public in the

U.S. through a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal that

values the self-driving truck startup at $1.2 billion, the

companies said on Thursday.

The merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX ( CCIX ), backed

by veteran Wall Street dealmaker Michael Klein, will provide

Plus $300 million in gross proceeds to achieve the commercial

launch of its autonomous trucks in 2027.

The self-driving space, widely seen as the future of

transportation, has picked up pace in recent months as companies

shift from bold promises to cautious progress, with the

commercialization of the technology taking gradual shape.

Truck operators in the U.S., responsible for the majority of

freight movement within the country, are increasingly looking to

automate to reduce transportation and logistics costs amid

driver shortages and heightened demand for expedited deliveries.

Deployment of self-driving technology is also expected to

gain from less stringent regulations under the Trump

administration, which plans to exempt certain vehicles from

specific safety requirements and ease rules for reporting safety

incidents.

In April, the California Department of Motor Vehicles

proposed to allow testing of self-driving heavy-duty trucks and

other large vehicles on state public roads.

The deal comes more than four years after Plus's previous

attempt to go public via a $3.3 billion blank-check deal at the

height of the SPAC frenzy, which was eventually canceled.

Such deals have fallen out of favor since, as intense

regulatory scrutiny and rising interest rates have tapered

investor interest.

Founded in 2016, Plus is currently conducting public road

testing in Texas and Sweden, with more customer fleet trials

scheduled for fall 2025.

Uber-backed Aurora Innovation has also been testing

self-driving trucks in Texas.

Plus, which provides autonomy software to truck

manufacturers Traton, Hyundai and Iveco, has deployed

self-driving technology in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.

The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025.