Google’s Waymo Self-Driving Trucks to Haul Cargo in Texas

Google’s self-driving car company Waymo announced this week that it is working with trucking company JB Hunt to autonomously haul cargo loads in Texas. The trucks will haul loads between Houston and Fort Worth with a truck driver and Waymo technicians on board monitoring their performance.

Ars Technica reports that Waymo announced this week that it is working with trucking company JB Hunt to autonomously haul cargo loads in Texas. Waymo’s class 8 trucks fitted with autonomous driving hardware and software system called Waymo Driver will operate on I-45 in Texas, transporting cargo between Houston and Fort Worth.

Despite operating using driverless technology, the trucks will still carry a trained truck diver and Waymo technicians to supervise the vehicle and take control of it if necessary. Waymo is best known for its automated taxi service operating in a Phoenix suburb, but the company began testing autonomous technology on freight haulers several years ago.

In 2018, Waymo began testing its driverless trucks in the Atlanta area, but the partnership with JB Hunt marks major progress in the company’s freight hauling tests. Craig Harper, chief sustainability officer at JB Hunt, commented on the partnership stating:

This will be one of the first opportunities for JB Hunt to receive data and feedback on customer freight moved with a Class 8 tractor operating at this level of autonomy. While we believe there will be a need for highly skilled, professional drivers for many years to come, it is important for JB Hunt as an industry leader to be involved early in the development of advanced autonomous technologies and driving systems to ensure that their implementation will improve efficiency while enhancing safety.

Charlie Jatt, the head of commercialization for trucking at Waymo, commented: “We’re thrilled to collaborate with JB Hunt as we advance and commercialize the Waymo Driver. Our teams share an innovative and safety-first mindset as well as a deep appreciation for the potential benefits of autonomous driving technology in trucking. It’s companies and relationships like these that will make this technology a commercial reality in the coming years.”

Read more at Ars Technica here.

Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship. Follow him on Twitter @LucasNolan or contact via secure email at the address lucasnolan@protonmail.com