Despite a past of slinging lawsuits at each other, Uber and Waymo have announced a long-term strategic partnership to deploy autonomous trucks at scale on the Uber Freight network.
The partnership will see Waymo’s autonomous driving technology, which originally launched as Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009, with the Uber Freight network.
Waymo explains in its announcement that “rising shipping demand coupled with a growing shortage of drivers has brought the logistics industry to an inflection point.”
According to Uber, this will streamline onboarding, load booking and execution, trailer transfers, and payment while “also enabling an ecosystem where human drivers and autonomous trucks can collaborate effortlessly in a hybrid network” to move freight.
“Uber Freight’s extensive, efficient, and reliable digital network is essential to making autonomous trucks a reality,” says Lior Ron, Head of Uber Freight.
“We are uniquely positioned to be the preferred network for autonomous trucks, with the scale and the marketplace expertise to deploy autonomous trucks in a way that benefits the entire industry.
“This partnership is an exciting leap forward, and we are proud to work alongside the amazing team at Waymo Via to pioneer a hybrid freight network that truly empowers carriers and will ring in a new era of logistics.”
Of course, such technology is a while off yet, but considering the havoc in the transportation system over the past few years, this is worth watching for all retailers.