Aurora and Werner Launch Commercial Pilot to Autonomously Haul Freight in Texas
April 06 2022 - 9:15AM
Business Wire
- Werner to pilot Aurora’s autonomous trucks to provide customers
with scalable technology to haul freight 24/7/365
- Aurora adds additional autonomous route between Fort Worth and
El Paso
Today, Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) and Werner
Enterprises (NASDAQ: WERN), a premier transportation and logistics
provider, announced a collaboration and commercial pilot to test
and safely deploy autonomous trucks on one of the most commercially
active and critical stretches of highway in the country.
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Starting this week, Aurora Driver-powered trucks are hauling
loads between Fort Worth and El Paso on behalf of Werner. This lane
represents the middle leg of one of the busiest commercial
thoroughfares for Werner and the U.S. trucking industry: Atlanta to
Los Angeles. Introducing an autonomous route between Fort Worth and
El Paso allows Werner to move freight seamlessly and reliably on a
subset of one of its most voluminous lanes.
The collaboration with Werner strategically broadens Aurora’s
customer ecosystem to include multiple carrier types. The pilot is
designed to advance the Aurora Driver, and Aurora Horizon, Aurora’s
autonomous truck product, to develop a robust service for carriers.
Today, operators are accompanying each truck in the pilot fleet on
weekly hauls, ready to assist if necessary. Over the next several
months, Aurora and Werner expect to increase the frequency of these
loads and are exploring further autonomy for vehicles in this
lane.
The Fort Worth to El Paso lane is over 600 miles and takes
approximately nine hours to complete. Its long-distance and
monotony contribute to this lane’s reputation for being unappealing
for truck drivers. By deploying the Aurora Driver on such hauls,
Aurora and the companies it is working with are building a future
in which autonomous trucks can handle less popular routes, while
human drivers transport more convenient hauls that are conducive to
desirable lifestyles.
Launching this new route is a technical and operational
milestone toward deploying the Aurora Driver at scale. To start
this commercial pilot, Aurora brought two new terminal sites online
to service this route and built the technological and operational
infrastructure required to operate it. The technical, operational,
and commercial muscle Aurora is building in the process will serve
its customers well as they deploy Aurora-Driver-powered trucks at
scale.
“Werner has a long history of pioneering new technology within
the industry,” said Werner’s Chairman, President and CEO Derek
Leathers. “This collaboration and pilot with Aurora is another step
forward in our commitment to sustainability and safety for our
drivers, customers and the motoring public through innovation. We
look forward to building a hybrid world where drivers continue to
haul freight while autonomous trucks supplement rising demand.”
“We’re proud to partner with Werner to bring the game-changing
safety, efficiency, and reliability benefits of self-driving
technology to their business,” said Sterling Anderson, Aurora’s
Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer. “We look forward to maturing
and streamlining these hybrid operations and ultimately delivering
a product that delivers value to Werner and its customers at a
large scale.”
About Werner
Werner Enterprises, Inc. (Nasdaq: WERN) delivers superior
truckload transportation and logistics services to customers across
the United States, Mexico and Canada. With 2021 revenues of $2.7
billion, an industry-leading modern truck and trailer fleet, over
13,500 talented associates and our innovative Werner EDGE
technology, we are an essential solutions provider for customers
who value the integrity of their supply chain and require safe and
exceptional on-time service. Werner provides Dedicated and One-Way
Truckload services as well as Logistics services that include
truckload brokerage, freight management, intermodal and final mile.
As an industry leader, Werner is deeply committed to promoting
sustainability and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion.
About Aurora
Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving
technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation
safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient
than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system
designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling
semi-trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins
Aurora Horizon and Aurora Connect its driver-as-a-service products
for trucking and ride-hailing. Aurora is partnered with industry
leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including Toyota,
FedEx, Volvo Trucks, PACCAR, Uber, Uber Freight, U.S. Xpress, and
Werner. To learn more, visit www.aurora.tech.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220406005552/en/
Fred Thayer, Associate Vice President - Corporate Brand and
Communications Werner Enterprises, Inc. 402.895.6640 ext. 100-2065
fthayer@werner.com
Khobi Brooklyn press@aurora.tech (415) 699-3657
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