But this is a big deal for Uber, which has expanded its ride-hailing service into other areas like freight delivery and food delivery with its Eats app. So instead of just disrupting local deliveries using cars, Uber’s going to do it with trucks as well! This isn’t the first time that self-driving trucks have hit the road in Arizona (Google’s Waymo has been testing them out), but they are still an exciting development given their potential to reduce accidents by taking human error out of driving.
Uber Technologies Inc is putting its self-driving trucks back on the road
Uber Technologies Inc is putting its self-driving trucks back on the road, a year after pulling them off over safety concerns following the fatal crash of a self-driving Uber car in Tempe, Arizona.
Uber’s freight business has become an important new revenue stream for the ride-hailing giant and it plans to use its autonomous trucking technology to deliver packages for companies including Walmart Inc and Kroger.
Uber said on Friday it would resume testing self-driving vehicles on public roads this week, without providing details about where or when they might hit the streets again.”We look forward to continuing our work with cities across North America,” said Eric Meyhofer, head of Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group that includes its self-driving program.
Freight business in Arizona, Texas, and other states since 2017.
Veering off course from its original plan to disrupt local deliveries using self-driving cars, the San Francisco-based ride-hailing company has been piloting its freight business in Arizona, Texas, and other states since 2017. In May, it launched Uber Freight in Canada and plans to open up operations in the U. S. , where it will compete with major established trucking companies such as Werner Enterprises Inc. and Swift Transportation Co. , as well as smaller startups like Convoy Inc.
Has become an new revenue stream
Uber’s freight business has become an important new revenue stream amid regulatory scrutiny of its core ride-hailing business and mounting losses before it is scheduled to go public next year in one of the most anticipated IPOs.
By focusing on trucking, Uber can avoid many of the issues that have plagued self-driving technology development by automakers. Unlike car manufacturers, which must navigate a complex web of state regulations, trucking companies operate under federal rules that are more flexible and allow them to test autonomous trucks on public roads more freely.
Uber also can benefit from being part of a larger ecosystem with other companies that make parts for self-driving vehicles like Tesla Inc (TSLA) and Embark Semis Inc., said Mike Ramsey, an analyst at Gartner Inc who follows autonomous vehicle technology development closely.”A lot is going on in this space,” said Ramsey.”The technology isn’t ready yet but enough people are working on it so we’ll get there eventually.”
Uber delivers their cargo more efficiently.
While existing truck drivers still are at the wheel, Uber said its technology aims to help them find loads and deliver their cargo more efficiently.
Uber is testing its self-driving trucks in the real world as part of an ongoing partnership with Volvo Trucks that could eventually lead to autonomous long-haul commercial vehicles.
Driving a big rig has been a dream job for many people, but it’s not all gourmet meals and luxury hotels on the open road: Truck drivers can spend days away from home and family, navigating grueling schedules and unpredictable weather conditions. As autonomous vehicle technology improves, driverless trucks could be safer than their manned counterparts—and they may even make package delivery more efficient by eliminating human error.
Uber self-driving trucks technology
If you’re a long-distance trucker, you may have heard about the new self-driving trucks from Uber and Otto. If not, here are some basics of what they can do:
The vehicles are equipped with cameras and sensors but have a driver behind the wheel ready to take control at any time. The trucks can only drive in areas that have been mapped out by human drivers, who were trained by Otto executives before being let loose on public roads within designated test sites (which include California, Colorado, and Arizona).
Uber recently announced that its self-driving trucks would be back on the road again after being suspended following an accident in Tempe, Arizona earlier this year. In March 2019, an Uber Volvo XC90 SUV operating in autonomous mode struck and killed Elaine Herzberg as she was walking her bicycle across Mill Avenue near Curry Road in Tempe; police later found that no one in the vehicle had been paying attention at the time of impact due to their involvement with other activities inside it
“We’re very excited about the progress we’ve made so far,” Uber’s head of freight, Lior Ron, said in an interview. “It’s just a really good fit for us.”
Uber is among a handful of companies including Waymo that are aggressively testing self-driving vehicles with the goal of one day removing humans from behind the wheel.
The company has committed to investing at least $450 million in its self-driving trucking business and will also continue working on its autonomous cars, which it pulled off public roads last year after a fatal accident involving a pedestrian in Tempe.
Last month, Uber settled criminal charges related to that accident by agreeing to pay $286 million over five years, while safety drivers will now be required to have backup drivers with them at all times in case they need to take manual control of the vehicle.
“Uber is not focused on mass-market consumer autonomous personal mobility today but rather on specific commercial use cases where autonomy can have great impact,” said Ron.
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