Uber Freight and Waabi, a builder of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and simulation for autonomous driving, partnered to accelerate the deployment of AI-powered autonomous trucks at scale.
The partnership aims to deliver a turnkey Driver-as-a-Service solution, the companies said in a Thursday (Sept. 21) press release.
Uber Freight can bring Waabi’s generative AI innovation to its freight network, providing “shippers and carriers nationwide with the tools needed to embrace autonomous technology and transform their operations safely and efficiently,” Uber Freight founder and CEO Lior Ron said in the release.
The collaboration combines Waabi’s core technology, the Waabi Driver, with Uber Freight’s logistics platform, marketplace technology and expertise in autonomous trucking operations, according to the release. The bundled solution provides carriers of all sizes with the services and infrastructure to deploy, maintain and manage their autonomous vehicles seamlessly.
Over the next 10 years, Uber Freight and Waabi plan to “deploy billions of miles of Waabi Driver capacity alongside carrier partners on the Uber Freight network,” the release said. To gather insights for the joint solution, Waabi Driver trucks have already been deployed on the Uber Freight network, giving customers early access to autonomous freight capacity.
The first commercial route for Waabi Driver trucks is live in Texas, running regularly between Dallas and Houston, per the release. The route will give thousands of shippers and carriers on the Uber Freight network an opportunity to better understand the future of supply chain operations and how autonomous trucks can improve overall network efficiency. As the partnership progresses, commercial operations will “expand to other key lanes in Texas and beyond.”
In another recent deployment of autonomous trucks, autonomous vehicles company Gatik and grocer Kroger announced in March that Kroger is leveraging Gatik’s self-driving trucks to transport products from the retailer’s eCommerce fulfillment center in Dallas to stores.
The grocer aims to boost the speed and lower the cost of fulfilling delivery orders, meeting greater demand, boosting profit margins and increasing customer loyalty.
“Through this collaboration with Gatik, we’re able to be quicker in our deliveries and focus more on the customer service side of things, which ultimately leads to happier customer and repeat customers,” Mike Baker, head of final mile at Kroger, said at the time.
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