We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.
  • ::COVID-19 COVERAGE::
  • INDUSTRY PRESS ROOM
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • MEDIA FILE
  • Create Account
  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Free Newsletters
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Change Me
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
  • MAGAZINE
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Digital Edition
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • TRANSPORTATION
  • MATERIAL HANDLING
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • LIFT TRUCKS
  • PODCAST ETC
    • Podcast
    • Webcasts
    • Blogs
      • Analytics & Big Data
      • Best Practices
      • Change Me
      • Empowering Your Performance Edge
      • Logistics Problem Solving
      • One-Off Sound Off
      • Public Sector Logistics
      • Two Sides of the Logistics Coin
      • Submit your blog post
    • Events
    • White Papers
    • Industry Press Room
      • Upload Your News
    • New Products
      • Upload Your Product News
    • Conference Guides
    • Conference Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Mobile Apps
  • DCV-TV
    • DCV-TV 1: News
    • DCV-TV 2: Case Studies
    • DCV-TV 3: Webcasts
    • DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
    • DCV-TV 5: Solution Profiles
    • MODEX 2020
    • Upload Your Video
Home » Uber Freight sends driverless truck on its inaugural trip across Arizona
newsworthy

Uber Freight sends driverless truck on its inaugural trip across Arizona

March 14, 2018
DC Velocity Staff
No Comments

Somewhat under the radar, Uber Freight, the freight operation of the ubiquitous ride-hailing pioneer, hit the road last week for the start of its autonomous truck journey.

The trip actually began in the Midwest, where a conventional truck with a driver hauled the load to an Uber Freight transfer hub in Sanders, Ariz. There, the trailer was offloaded onto the self-driving rig for a 344-mile ride west to a second transfer hub in Topock, Ariz. The trailer was then transferred to a second conventional truck where a driver—who was waiting after dropping off a separate load earlier—hauled the transferred load to its final destination in southern California.

The movement captured San Francisco-based Uber Freight's near-term vision for its autonomous truck operation: A hybrid of human and technological effort. No one expects a tractor-trailer to fly down the roads any time soon without the presence of a professional truck driver. Indeed, drivers will be called upon to execute more complex, precise actions that automation cannot yet do, such as backing up into truck bays.

In addition, because federal rules need to be written governing the interstate movements of autonomous trucks, driverless trucks will be confined to intrastate hauls. For the foreseeable future, loads must be transferred to a conventional truck for a move across state lines.

Last week's operation went off with relatively little fanfare, atypical for a company whose parent is very much in the news for a number of reasons, not all of them favorable.

Uber Freight's trucks came from its 2016 acquisition of autonomous truck startup Otto, whose name has since disappeared. Sarah Abboud, an Uber Freight spokeswoman, said Uber Freight's current fleet is small, but wouldn't provide numbers. Abboud also did not comment on where the company's autonomous-truck strategy heads from here.

Uber Freight's core business is a digital load-matching service connecting shippers and carriers, ostensibly without the involvement of traditional freight brokers or third-party logistics (3PL) providers. It has also been speculated that Uber Freight's long-term strategy is to build market share through pricing that undercuts traditional brokers, and then funnel freight into its self-driving truck network for deliveries.

Traditional brokers have maintained that experienced support staffs combined with advanced technologies are critical to facilitate transactions and to successfully intervene if a problem arises with a shipment.

You can watch a video of the Uber Freight autonomous move below, along with an animation showing how Uber plans to move freight between self-driving trucks and truck drivers.

Transportation Trucking
KEYWORDS Uber Freight
  • Related Articles

    Uber shelves autonomous truck program to focus on driverless cars

    Autonomous brokerage dispatches freight to driverless truck

    Feds begin long and (hopefully not) strange trip to regulate driverless trucks

  • Related Events

    Building Maps That Scale - How Uber Built Maps for 10 Billion+ Rides

Recent Articles by DC Velocity Staff

Report: Supply chains prepared to meet demand growth

Private equity firm combines Peak-Ryzex and Optical Phusion in double acquisition

Nuvocargo raises $12 million in funding round

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Most Popular Articles

  • A look into the future of robotics

  • Exotec Skypod System Adopted by Gap Inc. to Optimize Returns Process

  • Roadrunner Freight bolsters LTL capabilities with $50 million in new backing

  • A primer on warehouse robots

  • Truck driver availability tightens to three-year low, ACT says

Now Playing on DCV-TV

B56eecf1 4687 42a4 865e c3f3223925f7

How serious are you about controlling your freight costs?

DCV-TV 4: Viewer Contributed
If you’ve been feeling like your freight budget is under attack, you’re in good company! Whether you’re looking at the ocean, parcel, LTL, truckload, or air markets, capacity is tight and prices are soaring.RELATED RESOURCES:Rapid AssessmentVisit our websiteSubscribe to our YouTube Channel

FEATURED WHITE PAPERS

  • Special Report: Supply Chain Trends in Retail & Consumer Goods

  • Fortify Your Operational Resilience

  • Cold Storage Automation: Leveraging Advanced Technologies to Meet Increasing Demand

  • The modern warehouse: Maximizing productivity and capacity

View More

Subscribe to DC Velocity Magazine

GET YOUR FREE SUBSCRIPTION
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • NEWSLETTERS
  • ADVERTISING
  • CUSTOMER CARE
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT
  • STAFF
  • PRIVACY POLICY

Copyright ©2021. All Rights ReservedDesign, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing