Uber Freight and Aurora Innovation are launching Premier Autonomy, a new program that provides Uber Freight carriers early access to more than a billion of Aurora’s driverless miles through 2030.
Through this program, Uber Freight will integrate and deploy autonomous trucks on its network to enable carriers of all sizes to improve utilization and enhance business efficiency. In addition, Uber Freight will be one of Aurora's first customers on its Dallas-to-Houston freight route, with driverless hauls for shippers expected to begin at the end of 2024.
“Uber Freight and Aurora see a tremendous opportunity to democratize autonomous trucks for carriers of all sizes, enabling them to drive more revenue, scale their fleets, and strengthen their bottom lines,” said Lior Ron, founder and CEO of Uber Freight. “Autonomous trucks will make moving goods more efficient, and this industry-first program will help facilitate and accelerate the adoption of autonomous trucks with our carriers. We’re proud to work alongside the amazing team at Aurora to bring this technology into the hands of carriers and ultimately usher in a new era of logistics.”
Industry-first premier autonomy program
To pave the way for Uber Freight carriers to begin driverless operations, the companies are launching Premier Autonomy. The program offers carriers an early and streamlined path to purchase and onboard the Aurora Driver. Benefits include:
- Subscription to the Aurora Driver for autonomous freight hauling
- Opportunity to access more than a billion driverless miles through 2030
- High utilization of autonomous trucks via a planned, seamless integration of the Aurora Driver into the Uber Freight platform
“With Uber Freight, we can provide hundreds of carriers Premier Autonomy to autonomous truck capacity that they wouldn’t otherwise have. Working with carriers of all sizes is one of the many ways we will transform the industry and see thousands of driverless trucks on the road,” said Ossa Fisher, president of Aurora. “It’s exciting and validating that companies like Uber Freight are reserving our long-term capacity for their customers. We all see collective value in this offering.”
See also: Aurora finds that autonomous trucks can fight climate change
Strengthening the bottom line for carriers of all sizes
Premier Autonomy enables carriers of all sizes to use technology to enhance their operations.
Today, a human-driven truck takes two to three days to move freight from Dallas to Los Angeles. According to Aurora, that trip has the potential to be completed in a single day with the Aurora Driver. Aurora’s research indicates autonomous trucks have the potential to be 32% more energy efficient than traditional trucking by optimizing highway speeds, reducing deadhead miles and idling, increasing vehicle utilization and off-peak driving, and programmed eco-driving.
Uber Freight and Aurora have hauled millions of pounds of cargo since pilots began in 2020, unlocking learnings about effectively moving goods autonomously.
