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Waymo, the autonomous vehicle company, partnered with a new trucking company to test their fifth generation of “drivers”. These “drivers” are actually a series of sensors and computers set up to automatically drive vehicles. They will be testing their trucks on the 240-mile stretch between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.

Waymo has been making huge strides in the automation industry. Currently, they have two divisions. They have a consumer ride-hailing service that they have been testing in Arizona. Now, they are reaching out to Texas to test their autonomous trucking fleets. Soon, they will also work with UPS to work on their delivery trucks as well.

Who is Waymo?

Waymo is not a trucking and logistics company. They strictly deal with computers and technology. They are actually part of Google’s company, Alphabet. Instead, they partner with logistics companies to roll out their tech on pre-existing trucking routes. The newest partner is C.H. Robinson. This makes sense because learning about the logistics industry would create a new set of problems to solve and issues to handle. By partnering with companies like C.H. Robinson, they can deal strictly with autonomous vehicles.

C.H. Robinson is a fantastic company for Waymo to partner with. They have a $11.68 billion market cap and run over 200,000 shippers. This results in over 20 million deliveries a year. With this kind of footprint, Waymo has a huge testing pool to work out of.

How is Autonomous Trucking Going to Work?

The pilot program that Waymo plans to install will consist of two employees in the truck. One will still be a commercially licensed truck driver, and the other, a software technician. Together, they will monitor and oversee how the autonomous truck handles the route and adjust accordingly.

The plan is in the early stages, but all signs point to a successful launch in the coming years. Soon after, there will be no need to have someone in the cab while the trucks make their deliveries. Waymo envisions a future in which they will subcontract their technology to trucking fleets and automakers in order to deploy their services. Waymo will then charge carriers for providing “Deployment Support” and offer ongoing services for upgrading and maintaining their hardware and software.

It’s a sound business plan that is causing concern in the trucking industry. However, Waymo continues to suggest that it is the only solution. With driver shortages on the rise and companies demanding more deliveries every year, autonomous solutions are the only solution. Only time will tell how truck drivers fit into the equation, but for now, all autonomous vehicles still need a driver.