Uber Freight, the goods transport arm of the VTC company, and Waymo Via, Alphabet’s subsidiary specializing in autonomous driving, announced a partnership on June 7. This association should enable an improvement in the working conditions of truck drivers within the freight logistics market.
Uber Freight and Waymo Via, a partnership that flows naturally
Water seems to have flowed under the bridge since the 2018 trial in which Waymo accused the transport giant of theft of trade secrets. Waymo will install its self-driving technology in Uber Freight’s cargo trucks. It is an equivalent to Uber’s classic VTC service adapted to the delivery of goods.
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Both companies embrace the same vision “ of a future where self-driving trucks take over much of the driving of long hauls, relieving the growing demand for freight while allowing drivers to shift to shorter hauls that will improve the quality of life of the profession “.
The deployment of this long-term partnership will take place in two stages. The first will introduce, during the year, a series of trucks from the American brand Peterbilt tested and by Waymo in the Uber network. They will be equipped with the Waymo Driver autonomous driving device. Waymo would act as a carrier by offering self-driving trucks on Uber Freight’s marketplace. The second step aims to facilitate the integration of any conveyor using autonomous trucks equipped with the Waymo Driver into the Uber Freight network in order to ” develop their activities “.
An Uber Freight truck equipped with the Waymo system. Photography: Uber.
For Charlie Jatthead of marketing for the road transport branch of Waymo Via, “ the network of shippers, carriers and the technology marketplace correspond to the Waymo Driver. Through this partnership, we will be able to empower carriers to fully utilize their investments in Waymo Via technology through Uber Freight. We will improve the shipper experience while keeping our focus on developing the technology at the heart of the Driver “.
Autonomous vehicles and Uber, a complicated story
After many difficulties in developing its own self-driving technology, Uber now prefers to turn to third-party companies. In 2017, the company was notably responsible for the first death involving an autonomous vehicle in the United States.
Its unit dedicated to autonomous driving, the Uber Advanced Technology Group (ATG), has faced significant financial worries. The group, which has not been profitable once since its creation, recorded more than 303 million dollars in losses due to the pandemic in 2020. After this catastrophic balance sheet, the transport giant decided to resell the ATG to start-up Aurora. With the help of intermediaries and this partnership, the San Francisco-based company will be able to reconnect with its complicated past.