The first reported self-driving truck shipment was a 120-mile beer run.
Otto, the autonomous-truck company bought by Uber in August, completed its first self-driving shipment last week, transporting more than 50,000 cans of Budweiser to Colorado Springs, Colo., from Fort Collins, Colo., the company said in a statement. The trip was a partnership between Otto and Anheuser-Busch, with the brewing company paying $470 -- the market rate -- for the service.
There was no one behind the wheel while the truck was on the highway, according to Otto. A professional driver assisted the truck on the entrance and exit ramps, monitoring the rest of the trip from a sleeper berth in the back.
“With an Otto-equipped vehicle, truck drivers will have the opportunity to rest during long stretches of highway while the truck continues to drive and make money for them,” the company’s statement read.
Because most of their trips are driven on highways where there are fewer obstacles than on city streets, freight trucks have become attractive testing vehicles for autonomous technology. Companies such as Peloton Technology and Convoy are also looking to transform the $700 billion trucking industry through platooning and enhanced logistics.
Otto launched in May and was co-founded by Google alums Anthony Levandowski and Lior Ron.
Reuters contributed to this report.
