Waymo’s self-driving trucking unit is partnering with Uber Freight to deploy a host of autonomous trucks.
The partnership will see Waymo customers use Uber Freight to more efficiently plan their human-operated and automated trucking fleets. Currently, Uber Freight’s software serves as a middle man and connects truckers with shippers. Doing so reduces shipping costs, Reuters notes.
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Waymo Via isn’t the only company that Uber Freight is working with. Following the ride-hailing giant’s decision to sell its self-driving unit to Aurora in 2020, it has since partnered with Aurora through Uber Freight.
Alphabet’s self-driving division is looking to sell self-driving trucking services to large retailers and logistics companies. Under this plan, customers would purchase and own the self-driving trucks while also paying a per-mile usage fee to the company.
This isn’t the only significant partnership that Waymo’s self-driving trucking division has. The company has been working with UPS for more than two years and in November last year, commenced a series of autonomous trial runs with its Class 8 trucks equipped with the fifth-generation Waymo Driver system. These trucks conducted deliveries for UPS’s North American Air Freight unit between facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
Waymo is also working alongside Daimler on a fully autonomous, Level 4 system for trucks and is testing a fleet of Peterbilt trucks in Arizona, California, and Texas. Autonomous trucks currently being tested by Waymo have a commercially licensed driver and a Waymo software engineer in the cabin at all times.
