(NewsNation) — Self-driving trucks sound like something out of a science fiction movie set far in the future but they could be on Texas highways before the end of this year.
Uber Freight recently expanded its partnership with autonomous technology developer Aurora Innovation and will be one of Aurora's first customers on its Dallas to Houston freight route, with driverless hauls expected at the end of 2024.
The two companies announced their new "Premier Autonomy" program in late June, making driverless trucking possible for carriers of all sizes.
The program, which builds on a three-year commercial pilot, will provide early access to over 1 billion of Aurora’s driverless miles to Uber Freight carriers through 2030.
"Autonomous trucks will make moving goods more efficient, and this industry-first program will help facilitate and accelerate the adoption of autonomous trucks with our carriers," Lior Ron, founder and chief executive officer of Uber Freight said in a statement.
The program is reportedly set to work in two parts, with human drivers remaining behind the wheel initially. Later, Aurora will select carriers who use the Uber Freight network to be part of the autonomous truck program, the Dallas-Morning News reported.
Currently, drivers will take on initial and final stretches of trips in areas where lanes are smaller and turns are tighter, the newspaper said, but eventually, the company plans to pull drivers from the trucks entirely.
The technology could fundamentally change the American freight industry, allowing trucks to be on the road longer than they're able to be now with humans behind the wheel.
Aurora said its research shows autonomous trucks have the potential to be 32% more energy efficient than traditional trucking by optimizing highway speeds, reducing deadhead miles and idling, increasing vehicle utilization and more.
Within three or four years, Aurora and its competitors expect to have thousands of self-driving trucks on America’s public freeways, according to the Associated Press.
Since 2021, Aurora trucks have autonomously hauled freight over 1 million miles on public highways — albeit with human safety drivers aboard, AP said.
