SAN FRANCISCO — Uber Freight and Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) have announced a partnership to use Volvo’s autonomous tractor technology on the Uber Freight network.
Uber Freight will be one of V.A.S.’s first customers to pilot their hub-to-hub autonomous offering, a news release stated.
As a part of the partnership, V.A.S. will offer autonomous freight capacity to Uber Freight shippers on select routes, starting in Texas.
“The V.A.S. and Uber Freight partnership is an exciting one,” said Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “By integrating our autonomous transport solution with Uber Freight’s expansive network, we are offering shippers the possibility to move goods more efficiently while addressing some of the biggest challenges of the industry — transit times, empty miles and a shortage of drivers.”
Uber Freight and V.A.S. executives say they “envision a hybrid future where autonomous and manually-driven trucks work together to move goods safely and efficiently using a hub-to-hub model.”
“Under this model, autonomous trucks will take on the long-haul portion of the transport mission while manually-driven trucks complete local operations,” the news release stated. “Hub-to-hub will also ease some of the burden of increasing demand for freight while enabling drivers to shift into short-haul jobs closer to home, enhancing the truckers’ quality of life and ultimately creating value for everyone in the supply chain.”
Lior Ron, Uber Freight CEO, praised V.A.S. for being “a proven leader in safety, and we’re excited to collaborate on the road ahead.”
“As a trusted partner and advisor for shippers across the country, we look forward to helping shippers integrate autonomous solutions into their operations,” Ron added. “Our ability to expand access to V.A.S.’s transportation solution unlocks greater access to reliable capacity, improving the efficiency and sustainability of our customers’ supply chains.”
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
