FedEx has teamed up with self-driving technology company Aurora to test driverless deliveries between Dallas and Houston, but for now with a safety driver.
Aurora, which is led by former heads of self-driving programs at Google, Uber and Tesla, added on Wednesday it is aiming for trucks without a safety driver by late 2023.
The pilot program kicked off on Wednesday and will run along FedEx Dallas-Houston parcel lanes, completing the nearly 500-mile round trip route multiple times each week.
The news comes a week after self-driving startup Argo AI, Ford Motor Co and Walmart Inc said they would together launch an autonomous vehicle delivery service in Miami, Austin, and Washington, D.C.
FedEx has teamed up with self-driving technology company Aurora to test driverless deliveries between Dallas and Houston, but for now with a safety driver
The PACCAR-made trucks participating in the program are equipped with Aurora's autonomous driving technology, but for now they have safety drivers on board
In January, Aurora announced a partnership with PACCAR, one of the world's leading manufacturers of medium-and heavy-duty trucks, whose brands include Peterbilt and Kenworth, to develop self-driving trucks.
Aurora now plans to use PACCAR-made trucks, equipped with its own autonomous driving software, to haul goods for FedEx.
'This is an exciting, industry-first collaboration that will work toward enhancing the logistics industry through safer, more efficient transportation of goods and we are pleased to collaborate with other industry leaders – Aurora and PACCAR – on this endeavor,' stated Rebecca Yeung, Vice President of Advanced Technology and Innovation at FedEx.
The initiative has been billed as 'an industry-first three-way collaboration between a logistics provider, autonomous technology developer and a truck manufacturer.'
Aurora is aiming for trucks without a safety driver by late 2023
Aurora, which is going public through a deal with a blank-check firm backed by Silicon Valley heavyweights Reid Hoffman and Mark Pincus, is also working with Sweden's Volvo Group to develop self-driving trucks.
'This collaboration allows for the creation of a cohesive and integrated product and service,' Sterling Anderson, Chief Product Officer at Aurora, said of the deal with FedEx and PACCAR. 'We believe there is no other credible way to deliver this complex and valuable technology at scale.'
Heavy truck makers around the world are lining up technology partners to help build out autonomous driving systems for long-haul freight that could see widespread commercial service well before self-driving robotaxis.
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