Uber Technologies and the self-driving tech firm Aurora Innovation announced the expansion of their autonomous pilot program in Texas to accommodate a spike in Holiday delivery demand, as reported by Teslarati.
Scope of the Pilot Program
The recently opened 600-mile commercial highway from Fort Worth to El Paso in Texas will be added to the program’s initial coverage. The trucks will transport items for Veritiv Corp., a client of Uber Freight and a provider of specialized packaging solutions in North America.
Aurora claims that this expansion will assist customers of the logistics company Uber Freight.
The Aurora-made Peterbilt 579M will be used by Uber on the route. Although the trucks are level 3 autonomous, a driver must still be prepared to take over whenever needed.
Problem and Solution
In the US, there is still a severe lack of truck drivers. Finally, autonomous driving technology is developing, and infrastructure is being put in place to accommodate it.
Through Uber Freight, shippers who require their goods transferred can find available truck drivers. In retrospect, the companies started their pilot operation to deliver items autonomously between Dallas and Houston around a year ago.
“Our extensive and efficient digital marketplace is a key ingredient for autonomous freight deployment. As the preferred marketplace for autonomous trucks, we are incredibly excited to partner with these two companies laser-focused on paving the way for a hybrid network together. It’s an honor to get in the trenches with Veritiv’s commitment to next-generation supply chains and Aurora’s best-in-class innovation to better understand how autonomous freight can and will become a reality.”
Lior Ron, CEO of Uber Freight
