[AutonomousVehicles] UPS Teams up with Waymo for autonomous trucks

[Cornelius Butler]

Hi Everyone,
UPS has teamed up with Waymo to use their autonomous trucks. Article link
and text is below.

Article Link:
https://www.theverge.com/2021/11/17/22787278/ups-waymo-autonomous-truck-freight-texas-deliveries

Article Text:

UPS will make deliveries using Waymo’s autonomous Class 8 trucks

By Andrew J. Hawkins at andyjayhawk  Nov 17, 2021, 11:00am EST

The deliveries will take place in Texas, where Waymo is building a
nine-acre hub for its autonomous semi-trailer trucks. Starting now and
lasting until the end of the year, Waymo and UPS will collaborate on
freight hauling between facilities in Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. The
companies will gather data during the trial process, with an eye on safety
and efficiency in particular.

Currently, Waymo is testing the fifth generation of its “Driver,” which is
the term used to describe its combination of hardware, sensors, and AI
software, on its fleet of Class 8 trucks. The company is also working with
JB Hunt Transport Services to haul freight along several interstates in
Texas and is continuing its work with Daimler, the parent company of
Mercedes-Benz, on a fully autonomous, Level 4 system for trucks.

While much of the public’s focus has been on Waymo’s autonomous minivans
that operate in Arizona as part of a ride-hailing service, less attention
has been paid to the company’s stated plans to eventually launch a
commercial freight hauling business. Waymo has a fleet of Peterbilt trucks
that have been retrofitted with autonomous driving sensors and software,
and it is currently testing them in Arizona, California, and Texas.

The trucks operate autonomously during tests and commercial deliveries but
include two Waymo employees — a commercially licensed driver and a software
engineer — who sit in the cab and monitor the driving. Waymo has been
working on autonomous trucks since 2017 and plans to eventually launch a
full-scale freight hauling and delivery service called Waymo Via.

For UPS, it’s an opportunity to realize a vision for the future where some
of its delivery vehicles are electric, autonomous, or aerial drones. In
addition to Waymo, UPS has conducted tests using self-driving trucks
designed by a startup called TuSimple. And it said it would purchase 10,000
electric delivery vans from a UK startup called Arrival.
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