When you think of Uber, you probably think of calling a car or getting food delivered. But there’s another side to Uber you might not know about – Uber Freight.
Uber Freight is a different part of the company that connects truckers with shipping companies. It’s like their ride-hailing service, but instead of connecting drivers with passengers, it connects truck drivers with cargo. They currently manage $18 billion worth of cargo each year.
Over three years ago, Uber teamed up with Aurora Innovation, an autonomous vehicle company, after Aurora acquired Uber’s self-driving unit. Now, they’ve signed a long-term deal for Uber Freight to use Aurora’s self-driving trucks until at least 2030. This partnership is part of a new program called Premier Autonomy.
Lior Ron, the founder and CEO of Uber Freight, said, “Uber Freight and Aurora see a tremendous opportunity to democratize autonomous trucks for carriers of all sizes, enabling them to drive more revenue, scale their fleets, and strengthen their bottom lines.”
Uber Freight will start by providing self-driving trucks on the Dallas to Houston route in late 2024.
This move is happening at a challenging time for freight shipping, which is still recovering from the supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid pandemic.
Aurora’s President, Ossa Fisher, said, “With Uber Freight, we can provide hundreds of carriers priority access to autonomous truck capacity that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Working with carriers of all sizes is one of the many ways we will transform the industry and see thousands of driverless trucks on the road.”
Even though they have signed a multi-year deal, it remains to be seen if driverless freight trucks will become widely adopted in the next few years.
