Things are about to get interesting when the CEO of FedEx says an enormous effort will be made towards self-driving trucks this summer.
Last year, FedEx joined forces with Aurora Innovation and began a pilot program using self-driving trucks to haul goods between Dallas and Houston. The partnership moved Aurora closer to its goal of launching an autonomously trucking business by the end of the year.
FedEx's summer tease and Aurora's progress toward its goal are just two reasons why we're thrilled.
FedEx has been working on its own smaller-scale technology for a long time. Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway and iBot wheelchair, collaborated with DEKA Development and Research Corp. on a sidewalk delivery bot named Roxo. It was a debut in 2019.
FedEx seems to be focused on partnerships with Aurora for long-haul trucking, Nuro for last-mile delivery at large scale and with China-based Neolix, where it is testing on-road.
Aurora went from a buzzy startup to a publicly traded company in four years. The company was founded by Anderson, Drew Bagnell and Chris Urmson, all of whom have a history with automated vehicle technology.
In this conversation with Anderson and Yeung, we will check in on the status of the Dallas-Houston pilot and ask if there might be more collaboration ahead. We will try to get a sense of how long it will take for self-driving long-haul trucks to become a reality, what challenges remain to be solved and whether public confidence is one of those challenges.
You can bet we will ask about FedEx's big summer plan for trucking.
Don't miss this in-depth conversation about the current and future state of trucking with Aurora and FedEx. The hype surrounding merging technology and transportation will affect a broad swath of industries, cities and the people who work and live in them. Register before prices go up on May 15.
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