Volvo Autonomous Solutions Establishes Fort Worth Office for Self-Driving Trucking Operations between El Paso and Houston
Volvo Autonomous Solutions, as part of the Volvo Group, has recently inaugurated a Fort Worth office, reinforcing the city’s position as a crucial testing ground for self-driving trucks. The office has already commenced manual test runs, signaling the company’s preparations for “commercial autonomous hub-to-hub transport.”
A primary focus of the Fort Worth office is to facilitate the establishment of Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ first autonomous freight corridors. These corridors will connect Dallas-Fort Worth to El Paso and Dallas to Houston, demonstrating the potential of autonomous transportation along these routes.
In preparation for the upcoming commercial launch, Volvo Autonomous Solutions has initiated the hauling of loads using trucks operated by human drivers. Key customers such as DHL and Uber Freight are actively involved in these test runs, which aim to assess various aspects of the transport solution and establish robust frameworks and procedures for safe and reliable operations.
Volvo’s entrance into the autonomous sphere extends beyond their autonomous solutions division through their partnership with Pittsburgh-based Aurora Innovation. This collaboration involves the integration of the Aurora Driver system onto Volvo’s on-highway truck offering, further expanding their presence in the autonomous trucking domain.
NATSA acknowledges Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ mission to revolutionize the movement of goods on highways and their commitment to reducing friction and complexities for customers. By taking full ownership of the elements required for commercial autonomous transport and acting as a single interface to their customers, Volvo Autonomous Solutions aims to facilitate autonomy at scale.
The Dallas-Fort Worth to El Paso and Houston routes have already witnessed significant activity from self-driving trucking operations led by Aurora Innovation and their partners, including FedEx, Uber Freight, Werner, Schneider, U.S. Xpress, and Forward Air Corporation. Additionally, Gatik, an autonomous middle-mile trucking company based in Mountain View, has conducted short-haul trucking runs in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, serving clients such as Kroger, Pitney Bowes, and Sam’s Club locations.
Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ aspiration is to create additional industry capacity that alleviates the growing demand for freight while enabling local drivers to transition into short-haul jobs, allowing them to remain closer to home. By unlocking significant efficiencies throughout the supply chain, Volvo aims to benefit the entire transportation industry.
As part of their autonomous transport solutions, V.A.S. offers hardware, software, and services necessary for operating autonomous transport operations. Their highway solution follows a hub-to-hub model, where autonomous trucks handle the highway portion of the driving, operating around the clock between transfer hubs, while human drivers handle local operations.
DHL and Uber Freight, as participants in V.A.S.’s key customer program, join shippers, carriers, logistics service providers, and freight brokers in piloting and commercializing autonomous transport solutions. NATSA recognizes the importance of such collaborations in driving innovation and advancing the future of transportation in North America.
