Waymo Via, Uber Freight Sign Partnership on Self-Driving Trucks

Waymo Via, Alphabet’s self-driving trucking unit, has signed a deal with Uber’s Freight business to help future customers deploy autonomous trucks more easily, Reuters wrote Tuesday (June 7).

The partnership could see future Waymo customers able to use Freight better to plan their fleets.

Uber Freight’s software is like a middle man linking truckers and shippers, cutting costs and empty-cargo miles.

This comes as self-trucking services are emerging, with multiple companies looking into selling them to logistics companies in the next few years. The services would involve customers purchasing and owning the self-driving trucks, paying a per-mileage usage fee to the tech companies.

Uber sold its own self-driving unit to Aurora, a competitor of Waymo’s, at the end of 2020.

Waymo’s plans include launching its first fully driverless trucks within a few years, and will operate them first on the Texas Interstate 45 between Dallas and Houston.

See also: Waymo San Francisco Robotaxi Waiting List Has Tens of Thousands of Names

Last December, there were reportedly tens of thousands of people in and around the San Francisco area on the waiting list for a Waymo robotaxi ride, according to the company’s co-chief executive.

That came after hundreds were already taking rides in the Waymo autonomous vehicle since the test run started in August.

Waymo, since its founding in 2009, has had billions in financing to work on self-driving cars and trucks — though a larger offering has been slower to develop. The San Francisco test site was only the second one for Waymo.

The San Francisco tests were done with a select group of residents using Jaguar electric vehicles. The company reportedly wanted to use a diverse testing pool, with half of San Francisco’s riders being women.

“We are building a business, so we’re really focused on how to commercialize this technology,” Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said, according to the report.