Uber Freight, Aurora launch autonomous program for carriers

It could take carriers 12 to 18 months to qualify for Premier Autonomy

Grace Sharkey

6 months ago

Managed transportation provider Uber Freight announced Tuesday it is teaming up with Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR) to provide the trucking industry access to autonomous assets.

Premier Autonomy, available from now until 2030, will enable qualified carriers to buy Class 8 trucks equipped with an Aurora Driver subscription for autonomous driving.

Aurora Driver is the self-driving hardware and software systems that includes lidar, radar and cameras to view the driving environment in 360 degrees. The software system specifically features perception, motion planning, mapping and simulation systems. Using a modular design, in which a system is divided into smaller, independent parts, Aurora Driver’s hardware allows for easier updates and adaptability to technological changes.

“When you’re a carrier that’s looking to bring on autonomous trucks, you need to know how the technology works and whether it’ll work within your network, the nuances of ownership of an AV truck like how does it get dispatched or serviced, and that you’ll have access to autonomous trucks,” Zac Andreoni, vice president of business development at Aurora, told FreightWaves. “The Premier Autonomy program focuses on these important aspects of onboarding to prepare Uber Freight carriers to start driverless operations.”

Andreoni went on to explain that once carriers are onboarded to the Aurora driver subscription, a process that could take 12 to 18 months, the program will use Uber Freight’s technology and shipment network to identify freight that would be a good fit for autonomous runs.

Initially, Aurora will own and operate the trucks available for hire by shippers, aiming to have 20 trucks in the program by the end of 2024. Soon after, it will transition from a Transportation-as-a-Service model to a Driver-as-a-Service model, where carriers purchase the trucks equipped with Aurora’s technology and leverage Uber Freight’s available loads.

“The integration of our platforms will allow carriers to easily tap into $18 billion of freight volume managed by Uber Freight that they can move with their Aurora Driver-powered trucks,” said Olivia Hu, head of autonomous trucking for Uber Freight. “With higher utilization, AVs can make freight corridors a whole lot more efficient, stimulating growth in the overall volume of freight moved.”

Hu said drivers will also be able to invest in this new technology, knowing its backed by efficient back-office support for load discovery, booking, dispatching, tracking and payment processes.

Success in Texas

Along with the Premier Autonomy launch, Aurora also announced on Tuesday that Uber Freight will be one of the first customers of the autonomous vehicle company to cover driverless hauls for shippers on its Dallas-to-Houston driverless lane.

The partnership on this lane started in 2021, when Aurora began using autonomous trucks with a safety driver to haul Uber Freight drop-and-hook loads on the same Texas lane.

Then from 2021 to 2023, Aurora increased the Aurora Driver performance through six beta updates with expectations to begin running driverless trucks from Dallas to Houston by the end of this year.

“Today, Aurora is hauling dozens of loads per week for Uber Freight, and with each haul we’re perfecting our operations and safety protocols, like enhanced pre-trip inspections, for launch,” said Andreoni.

“For commercial launch, we are working toward closing Aurora’s safety case — giving us the confidence that the Aurora Driver will perform safely and as expected when driverless. We recently shared that our safety case is 95% complete. In the coming months, we’ll be conducting final validation of our technology to reach 100% completion of the safety case, which is critical for the safe deployment of driverless trucks,” he explained.