SR: TRANSPORTATION
A hybrid network of self-driving and driveroperated trucks
will only improve the logistics sector.”
Sarah Abboud, Uber spokesperson
The combined tech powers of Uber and Otto led to the first commercial shipment a by self-driving truck in October 2016.
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racing to make self-driving trucks a reality, agrees with Banker’s timeline, envisioning a future where truck drivers and self-driving trucks work together to move freight around the country. MIT Technology Review recently spoke with Uber’s Nancy Sun, who is the engineering lead for self-driving trucks, about the reality of self-driving trucks and the challenges still ahead. She tells the magazine that a world where the majority of vehicles on our roadways are autonomous is 10 to 20 (or more) years away. “It’s not like you’re going to flip a switch one day, and you’re going to have self-driving trucks everywhere doing everything for you,” she says. “It’s going to be a long journey to get to a point where it’s even going to be a majority-of-transit-happens-by-self-driving-vehicle world. It’s not in the next three years. It’s not in the next five years. We’re talking like five, 10, 15, 20-year future, beyond.” And for Uber, that world is at the core of its mission to provide safe, reliable transportation to everyone, everywhere. Its ridesharing network is used by millions of drivers and riders every day, and now it is investing in trucking. In December of last year, the company introduced Uber Freight, a free app that matches carriers and their drivers with loads to haul. They’re also working hard on getting autonomous vehicles on the road through
FOOD LOGISTICS | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
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Daimler tested digitally connected trucks in so-called platooning operations on select public roads in Oregon and Nevada last year.
their Advanced Technology Group (ATG), which is comprised of a team of engineers dedicated to self-driving technologies, mapping and vehicle safety. “We saw an opportunity to drive the logistics industry forward, which is why we began Uber Freight,” says Sarah Abboud, a spokesperson for Uber. “Uber Freight has already begun to transform the driver experience, and we believe that a hybrid network of self-driving and driver-operated trucks will only improve the logistics sector.” Uber’s acquisition of tech startup Otto was a huge step toward achieving this hybrid network. In October 2016, the combined tech powers reached their first major milestone, successfully delivering the first commercial shipment by self-driving truck. While a human still sat in the cab, the truck delivered a trailer load of Anheus-
er-Busch beer from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs, Colorado, approximately 120 miles. “Job demands may change, but we believe there will always be a need for professional truck drivers,” adds Abboud. “Drivers will handle more dynamic parts of the job such as communicating with facilities workers, unloading, loading, city driving and final delivery. We also expect to see increased safety and efficiency, wherein self-driving trucks are an opportunity for drivers to have a say in where and how they work.” So while self-driving vehicles may not replace the need for human truck drivers, it may ultimately address the industry’s driver shortage by making the job more attractive. The American Trucking Association estimates that the for-hire trucking industry’s driver shortage stood at roughly 58,000 in 2015, due to several reasons, including demographic, regulatory and the fact that drivers are away from home for a period of time. Uber is listening to truck drivers, unions and others who depend on the trucking industry for their daily lives to better understand their needs, so Sun says they are able to make technology that supports the industry well. “We’re not looking to eliminate people’s livelihoods. We’re looking to supplement and help improve their livelihoods,” she adds. “A model www.foodlogistics.com
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