Aurora Cooperates With Uber To Transport Goods In Texas, Drivers No Longer Needed

Aurora is partnering with Uber in driverless delivery of goods. (photo: aurora)

JAKARTA - Aurora Innovation Inc on Wednesday, December 15 said it had launched a pilot program with Uber Technologies Inc's delivery unit to transport goods in Texas and to integrate autonomous trucks into its Uber Freight delivery platform.

Aurora said it began self-driving cargo for Uber Freight customers between Dallas and Houston last week. The company plans to launch its commercial autonomous truck business in late 2023, starting in Texas.

Uber is an investor in Aurora after the self-driving company bought Uber's autonomous vehicle unit ATG last year and Uber acquired a 26% stake in Aurora.

Uber Freight is a platform that acts as an intermediary in connecting shippers in need of transported goods with available truck drivers, often independent contractors in a highly fragmented market.

An Aurora spokeswoman said prior to last week's launch, the company began collaborating with Uber Freight a year ago to transport goods over thousands of miles in Texas to gain new insights into the business.

Aurora said operators who subscribe to its self-driving products will be able to order autonomous trucks through the Uber Freight platform once the commercial self-driving trucks launch in 2023.

By using autonomous trucks, operators will be able to increase truck utilization and transport more goods between terminals, said a source at Aurora. Human truck drivers are not allowed to drive more than 11 hours per day. While that limit does not apply to self-driving trucks. This will save the transportation company a lot of time!

The pilot program deploys so-called drop-and-hook loads, an industry term that describes drivers unloading full containers at terminals and then immediately picking up new ones, without waiting for them to be unloaded.

Human-operated trucks ordered through the Uber Freight network then handle the last mile to their actual destination, where the goods are being unloaded, the company said. This way of working will make transportation companies and transportation services more efficient.