Uber Freight and Volvo Autonomous Solutions, or V.A.S., have announced a multi-phase commercial and technology partnership to deploy Volvo’s autonomous transport solution 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. 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 news marks the beginning of a strategic partnership, which will leverage Uber Freight’s expansive network and V.A.S.’s autonomous transport solution, the companies said. Via the Uber Freight platform, shippers will be able to tap into more efficient means to move freight and ultimately realize the value autonomous trucks bring to strained global supply chains.
“The V.A.S. and Uber Freight partnership is an exciting one,” says 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 VAS come together to form a hybrid-trucking future
Uber Freight and V.A.S. said 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.
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, they said.
“V.A.S. is a proven leader in safety and we’re excited to collaborate on the road ahead,” says Lior Ron, Uber Freight CEO. “As a trusted partner and advisor for shippers across the country, we look forward to helping shippers integrate autonomous solutions into their operations.
“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,” Ron added.
V.A.S. said partnership with Uber Freight bolsters autonomous driving efforts
V.A.S. said it is on a mission to accelerate the development, commercialization, and sale of autonomous solutions for defined segments in the on-road and off-road space. By offering autonomous capacity, they provide shippers with more flexibility, convenience, and productivity.
The partnership with V.A.S. initiates Uber Freight’s first commercial collaboration with an autonomous fleet. At a time when innovation in logistics is needed most, Uber Freight and V.A.S. will leverage autonomous technology to bring new modes of capacity and reimagine the quality of life for truck drivers.
As Uber Freight continues to deepen its work with leaders across the board, from Driver-as-a-Service technology providers like Aurora and Waymo to OEMs and Transportation-as-a-Service providers like V.A.S., Uber Freight emerges as the network of choice to make the commercialization of autonomous transportation a reality.
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