UPS quietly uses autonomous trucks for months



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Gizmodo announced that UPS has been delivering cargo in autonomous trucks for months and nobody knew it.

UPS announced Thursday that its venture capital subsidiary had made a minority investment in TuSimple. The announcement also revealed that since May, TuSimple autonomous trucks were carrying UPS loads on a 115-mile journey between Phoenix and Tucson.

UPS confirmed to Gizmodo that it was the first time that UPS had announced that it was using TuSimple autonomous trucks to deliver parcels in that state.

Around the time the UPS and TuSimple program was launched, United States Postal Service and TuSimple announced a two-week pilot program to route mail between Phoenix and Dallas, a 1,000-kilometer journey.

TuSimple claims to be able to reduce by 30% the average cost of shipping a semitrailer. In an announcement about the new partnership, Todd Lewis, managing partner of UPS Ventures, said the branch "collaborated with startups to explore new technologies and customize them to meet our specific needs."

UPS would not share the terms of the agreement with Gizmodo. TuSimple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

TuSimple uses its own autonomous technology (based on nine cameras and two LIDAR sensors) in Navistar vehicles.

TuSimple Video

A flawless stay

Zero engagement in a storm.

TuSimple is now connected to both UPS and the US Post Office (USPS).

On February 16, I commented on the startup of the "TuSimple" self-driving truck confident in driverless trade by 2021.

The company's cameras can measure around 1,000 meters, says Chuck Price, Product Manager at TuSimple. "One kilometer away, we can see emergency vehicles, cars on the side of the road, passersby"Said Price.

"We are confident that we will have our first driverless commercial operation from the end of 2020 to 2021."Said Mr. Price.

Technology is not the heist

For now, there are backup drivers. This will change in the next two years.

The main obstacle is not the technology, but the federal legislation.

The commercial driverless system will be there by the end of 2021 if federal regulations permit, what I expect.

Then, within a few years of federal regulatory approval, most interstate trucks will be driverless.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock

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