Uber trucks start shuttling goods across Arizona — by themselves

Uber trucks start shuttling goods across Arizona — by themselves

Uber has been using its self-driving trucks to transport goods in Arizona.

Gregory Murphy

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber has been sending self-driving trucks on delivery runs across Arizona since November, the first step in what promises to be a freight transportation revolution that could radically reshape the jobs of long-haul truckers.

After testing its technology earlier in 2017, Uber began contracting with trucking companies to use its own autonomous Volvo big rigs to take over loads as they traverse the state, it disclosed. 

In Uber's current program, a trucker meets the self-driving truck at the Arizona state border, which then takes the load across the state before handing it off to a second conventional trucker for the short-haul trip. During the autonomous trip, an Uber employee rides in the driver seat of the autonomous truck to monitor  — but not to drive.

If one day both the technology and regulations play out in favor of self-driving trucks, two scenarios emerge.

Read more : https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/2018/03/06/uber-trucks-start-shuttling-goods-arizona-no-drivers/397123002/