Aurora Innovation and FedEx announced the expansion of their joint pilot program to autonomously move FedEx shipments on an additional commercial lane in Texas. FedEx continues to pursue sustainable initiatives.
In March 2022, Aurora’s next generation autonomous trucks – based on the new Peterbilt 579 – began to transport FedEx shipments between Aurora’s new terminals in Fort Worth and El Paso. Aurora is making the 600-mile trip on a weekly basis with safety drivers on board and expects to increase the frequency of trips in the coming months. Aurora continues to move shipments for FedEx between Aurora’s South Dallas terminal and its new Houston terminal on a daily basis.
Since the commercial pilot began in September 2021, Aurora’s deliveries of FedEx shipments between Dallas and Houston have all been on time. With each trip, the Aurora Driver (Aurora’s self-driving technology product) is providing thousands of FedEx customers with packages that were autonomously transported. Aurora moves trailers for FedEx during various weather conditions and all hours of the day and night, optimizing fleet utilization. Aurora completed daily hauls during the 2021 peak Holiday season, the busiest time of year for FedEx. To date, the companies have completed 60,000 miles with zero safety incidents.
Aurora’s performance throughout this pilot demonstrates the value proposition autonomous trucking offers for transportation and logistics providers as Aurora works toward the commercial launch of its autonomous trucks. In light of the headwinds facing the logistics industry – ranging from increasing demand for the quick transportation of shipments to a challenging labour market – the Aurora Driver, when integrated into existing linehaul operations, has potential to provide a reliable, efficient linehaul solution to help address such industry concerns.
Source: FedEx
