Gizmodo reports that United Parcel Service (UPS), working with self-driving freight truck startup TuSimple, has actually been hauling mail across the state of Arizona for several weeks.
According to the story, UPS said yesterday that “its venture capital arm has made a minority investment in TuSimple. The announcement also revealed that since May TuSimple autonomous trucks have been hauling UPS loads on a 115-mile route between Phoenix and Tucson … TuSimple claims it can cut the average cost of shipping in a tractor-trailer by 30 percent.”
The US Postal Service (USPS) also has announced a pilot program to deliver mail between Phoenix and Dallas, a 1,000 mile trip, using TuSimple technology.
According to the story, UPS said yesterday that “its venture capital arm has made a minority investment in TuSimple. The announcement also revealed that since May TuSimple autonomous trucks have been hauling UPS loads on a 115-mile route between Phoenix and Tucson … TuSimple claims it can cut the average cost of shipping in a tractor-trailer by 30 percent.”
The US Postal Service (USPS) also has announced a pilot program to deliver mail between Phoenix and Dallas, a 1,000 mile trip, using TuSimple technology.
- KC's View:
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There has been a rash of stories recently about how autonomous vehicle technology may take longer to get traction than expected, but then stories like this one come along.
It probably makes sense to work on the premise that autonomous vehicles, like most technological innovations, probably will happen faster than we expect, not slower.
