American autonomous truck company Torc Robotics (Torc) has partnered with Uber Freight, a logistics solutions provider, to support the development of an autonomous freight network.
Trough the agreement, Torc will leverage Uber Freight’s logistics network, which includes more than 100,000 digitally-enabled carriers, to achieve greater insight into the future deployment of autonomous trucks.
“As we have always said, collaboration in the autonomous trucking industry is paramount to the technology’s deployment at scale,” said Peter Vaughan Schmidt, CEO of Torc.
“Our partnership with Uber Freight is a prime example of how working together with industry players will ensure the technology is integrated seamlessly, safely and efficiently.”
Uber Freight’s market share and fleet capabilities will be used to inform Torc’s autonomous freight network design and expansion strategy heading into the future.
Read more: Maersk and US robotics firm partner on autonomous trucking lane
Some of the focuses of the partnership will include identifying which lanes are optimal for deployment, how to prioritide the rollout of lanes and various ODDs, balancing supply and demand across supply chains with autonomous trucks, the management of autonomous loads with transfer hubs, among other areas.
The logistics provider is a member of Torc’s Autonomous Advisory Council (TAAC), which is comprised of key freight industry players that provide strategic guidance to Torc.
“This partnership is a natural expansion of our initial working relationship through TAAC, and leveraging Uber Freight’s data and insights will help our mission to commercialise autonomous trucks at scale by 2027.”
“Torc is a proven pioneer in autonomous trucking, and we’re thrilled to collaborate with them on the road ahead,” said Lior Ron, Uber Freight founder and CEO.
“We firmly believe that by collaborating with partners early on, we are helping incorporate the important voices of shippers and carriers across the Uber Freight network and shaping the future of freight with autonomous trucks.
“In partnering with Torc, we’re able to provide a leader in this space with rich insights regarding how goods move, which in turn will result not only in more access to safer autonomous trucks, but ultimately build more reliable and efficient supply chains.”
