A turnkey driver-as-a-service solution. That’s how Waabi sees this “first of its kind” deal partnership with Uber Freight.
“This unique solution will empower carriers to effectively deploy the Waabi Driver while unlocking critical capacity for shippers,” the statement reads.
Carriers will now have the ability and the infrastructure to dispatch their autonomous assets with the technological backing of Waabi.
Led by AI and self-driving pioneer Raquel Urtasun, Waab is one of the fastest-growing companies in self-driving. Waabi Driver is the next generation of autonomous trucking technology. It can be trained to make decisions, apply learned skills to unseen scenarios and adapt to any hardware configuration.
The need for autonomous trucks in logistics
Uber Freight says this deal comes when innovation is needed most in the logistics industry. The national supply chain is plagued by a looming shortage of truck drivers, expected to reach 160,000 by 2028.
Large truck crashes accounted for more than 5,000 lives lost in the US in 2019. This is according to According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly 90% of these crashes could have been avoided if humans were not involved.
“Autonomous trucks have a tremendous potential to address these issues, in addition to increasing asset utilization, improving road safety, reducing carbon footprints, and positively reimaging the career outlook and quality of life for truck drivers,” says Uber.
Uber’s excitement about the driverless-deal
“We are thrilled to work with them to usher in a new era for our industry,” says Lior Ron, CEO of Uber Freight.
“This exciting partnership allows us to bring Waabi’s revolutionary generative AI innovation to the forefront of our vast freight network,” adds Ron. “ It’s providing our shippers and carriers nationwide with the tools to embrace autonomous technology and transform their operations safely and efficiently.”
Waabi plans to expand this deal
Waabi hopes to expand its service over the next ten years by deploying billions of miles of Waabi-driver capacity along different carrier partners on the Uber Freight network.
The tech-driven company, Waabi World, says this approach “drastically reduces the need to drive in the real world.” It’s also a solution for carriers and shippers that is “smarter, safer, and more scalable.”
How it will work
This industry-first, “driver-as-a-service solution” is at the heart of Waabi Driver’s and Uber Freight’s partnership. It will offer carriers cutting-edge technology-driven models, to adopt autonomous trucks within their fleets safely.
Now, carriers with Waabi Driver-enabled trucks can use the Uber Freight network and its optimized routes, roadside assistance, and national maintenance providers.
About the author
Mia is a multi-award-winning journalist. She has more than 14 years of experience in mainstream media. She's covered many historic moments that happened in Africa and internationally. She has a strong focus on human interest stories, to bring her readers and viewers closer to the topics at hand.
