Dive Brief:
- Volvo Autonomous Solutions and Uber Freight are pursuing a long-term strategic partnership to deploy Volvo’s autonomous transport solution on Uber Freight’s marketplace, the companies revealed Wednesday.
- As part of the partnership, the fledgling companies will offer autonomous freight capacity on select routes starting in Texas to Uber Freight customers. That will entail moving freight by autonomous trucks, according to the companies.
- “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,” VAS President Nils Jaeger said in a news release.
Dive Insight:
Another partnership seeks to scale new technology and commercialize operations as carriers evaluate what’s possible.
In this case, Uber Freight and VAS will pilot a hub-to-hub autonomous offering, following a similar effort that launched in May with DHL Supply Chain Solutions.
“The project will start with a pilot with the goal to eventually provide a fully commercialized solution,” Sasko Cuklev, head of VAS’ On-Road Solutions, said in an email to Transport Dive regarding the Uber Freight partnership.
The Volvo startup, founded in 2020, has used pilots to evaluate hypotheses and make adjustments, Cuklev said in a 2019 promotional video, noting the business didn't want to be swayed by a specific plan of where it should be in 10 or 15 years.
Other partnerships abound: Aurora has also been testing 600-mile autonomous routes with Uber Freight; Waabi’s autonomous technology is ready for U.S. roads; and Kodiak Robotics tested the autonomous delivery of Ikea products.
