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Uber Self-Driving Trucks Are Now Moving Cargo For Uber Freight Customers (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the put-to-work dept.

Uber's autonomous trucks are now being put to work via Uber Freight, Uber's commercial cargo shipping on-demand app. "The first runs are being done in Arizona, with regular hauls operating with both human drivers and autonomous trucks working in tandem," reports TechCrunch. From the report: How it works is that Uber will load up the freight on a conventional, human driven truck who collects the load from the shipper and then does a short haul run to a transfer hub. The short haul truck then loads its cargo onto a long-haul freight transport, which is autonomous for the purposes of these trips. That self-driving test truck handles the highway driving for the longer portion of the trip, handing it off once again to a human-driven trip for the short haul cap to the overall journey. Uber Freight handles the load sourcing, just as it dos for connecting shippers with regular human truckers. Uber's Advanced Technology Group is simply deploying its self-driving trucks on the Uber Freight platform, in the same way that the autonomous team within Uber is using the Uber ride-hailing network to test and deploy its self-driving ride share vehicles. Uber has released a video depicting this journey.

52 comments

  1. After watching that video by ColaMan · · Score: 1

    I have the sudden urge to play simutrans.

    --

    You are in a twisty maze of processor lines, all alike.
    There is a lot of hype here.
  2. I hate Uber but.. by fluffernutter · · Score: 0

    Meh, as long as it makes shipping cheaper.

    --
    Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    1. Re:I hate Uber but.. by rtb61 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Never ever be confused by the difference between lower costs and lower charges, one hardly ever leads to the other and that is the purposeful function of public relations and marketing, the ability to confuse the gullible. Corporations charge the maximum they can only limited by diminishing returns with higher profit margins, the cost versus the charges. Ideally as seen in modern governance, they want tax payers to foot the bill for the costs and then charge infinite profit margins, infinite because say like the F35 Flying Pig, the final purchase leads to the goal of the aircraft being declared unsatisfactory, blame government controlled by those corporations and buying a new replacement (they seem to be pushing the M$ model where every second version is utter trash requiring replacement at your cost).

      The modern trend if for more skilled drivers, that place their equipment appropriate after getting it to site safely and then unloading it themselves to the right location. Auto trucks at this stage, lets be economically honest, are an IPO tool, to make the company look like it is worth more than it is.

      Always keep in mind the cargo will often be worth more than the truck and not just the cargo itself but delays in delivery. All sorts of things can stop an auto truck cold, one detector slightly faulty and someone's cargo is dead on the side of a road, depending how far away, that can mean dead for days and delays can cost way, way more than a truck driver. How well does autodrive work in muddy conditions, where there is a high likelihood of obscuring detectors and if not mud how about snow.

      Any perceived saving, after already adding in higher capital cost, can be goobled right up in penalties for lost cargo and if the turkey vultures at Uber think they can scam commercial operators like they do the gullible public, well, they will be bankrupted into oblivion via civil suits. In commercial cargo operations it is all about the cargo, undamaged and on time, no whoops star rating, straight to court rating and clauses like, we take no responsibility for safe delivery of cargo, blacked out by highlighter and initialled or the contract binned.

      Uber makes new announcement to pretty up company prior to IPO, believe nothing.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    2. Re:I hate Uber but.. by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

      Why don't you tell me how you REALLY feel?

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    3. Re:I hate Uber but.. by nonBORG · · Score: 1

      All true, however I suspect that the autodrive is also with a driver on board in the truck. There may be some benefit even to doing that, such as the human driver can rest and then drive again later (when the handover to human driver time comes) hopefully refreshed by a sleep. So in the event of a sensor fail the truck could keep going with the human driver taking command. Kind of like autopilot on a plane really.

      w.r.t. your IPO tool comment this is what their 10bil has got them. Trucks that can drive from A to B, as long as there are no unexpected things between A and B. I have to say it does not make me feel any safer on the roads to think that Uber trucks may be there. They have started out with a very similar motto that google had when they started "Don't be evil" with just a few letters removed off the first word. I can imagine that this company ethos has effected everything they do including the self driving team.

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      You can't handle the truth! - Because I don't post left all my comments get modded down, bye bye Karma.
    4. Re:I hate Uber but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the difference between lower costs and lower charges, one hardly ever leads to the other

      Yes it does. All the time, especially in something that essentially becomes a commodity, such as transportation.

    5. Re: I hate Uber but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it is always gov fault for not nannying these self regulatory companies.

    6. Re:I hate Uber but.. by q_e_t · · Score: 1

      In many areas of the world the driver would need to be paid for the entire duration, awake or asleep.

    7. Re:I hate Uber but.. by nonBORG · · Score: 1

      I don't think Uber cares about the cost of the trip, they are doing this as marketing (if they are even doing it at all) Having a guy in the truck being paid does not make too much difference to the cost.

      --
      You can't handle the truth! - Because I don't post left all my comments get modded down, bye bye Karma.
    8. Re:I hate Uber but.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      On a business level it is a tough sell in the short term if it increases costs. If the story is a roadmap (pun intended) to lower cost, to increase the value of Uber, then yes that is another matter.

    9. Re:I hate Uber but.. by Computershack · · Score: 1

      There may be some benefit even to doing that, such as the human driver can rest and then drive again later

      No he can't because when the thing decides it is coming across a situation it can't handle the driver will have seconds to react to what is going on in a 32 ton truck where you can't just rapidly change direction like a car.

      --
      I only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn't looking good either. - Scott Adams
    10. Re:I hate Uber but.. by cascadingstylesheet · · Score: 1

      Never ever be confused by the difference between lower costs and lower charges, one hardly ever leads to the other and that is the purposeful function of public relations and marketing, the ability to confuse the gullible. Corporations charge the maximum they can only limited by diminishing returns with higher profit margins, the cost versus the charges.

      Er, as do employees. They both charge their employers whet the market will bear.

      If your rent goes down, you don't go to your employer and say "you can pay me less now; me rent went down."

    11. Re:I hate Uber but.. by Anonymous+Cow+Ward · · Score: 1

      Never ever be confused by the difference between lower costs and lower charges

      Yep, we're all good so far.

      one hardly ever leads to the other

      This is demonstrably false. In nearly every competitive market (like shipping), at least some of the cost savings are passed on to customers. If they don't, their competitors will, and they'll lose business.

      --
      Examine even your most deeply held beliefs. Nobody is always right.
  3. BS by 110010001000 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    This is total BS. They are not doing this. Autonomous driving is not at this level yet. Complete garbage.

    1. Re: BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In other parts of the world they have freight trains and a decent rail infrastructure. Simple solutions often work better.

    2. Re:BS by DogDude · · Score: 1

      I was going to say the same thing. That's not a real video of that happening.

      --
      I don't respond to AC's.
    3. Re:BS by phantomfive · · Score: 2

      Yeah, actually it's not. Click on the video link in the summary. It's an animation. Hype.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    4. Re: BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > In other parts of the world they have freight trains and a decent rail infrastructure. Simple solutions often work better.

      From everything I've heard, the US freight rail system is quite good.

    5. Re:BS by Namarrgon · · Score: 1

      In TFA there's another video that isn't an animation, showing live drivers - but the truck isn't exactly Level-4 self driving, either. There's a driver behind the wheel at all times, and of course no mention of what proportion of the journey is performed by the machine, or how many interventions are needed.

      --
      Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
    6. Re:BS by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      I give them an A+ on their marketing/propaganda! Their clarity of data could use some work, but really does that have any value?

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    7. Re:BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The word "depicting" wasn't a strong enough clue for you, Sherlock?

    8. Re:BS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a fat retard.

    9. Re: BS by Anne+Thwacks · · Score: 1
      In "other parts of the world" they have railways where one driver controls a train of 20 or more unpowered wagons, each carrying two to four standard shipping containers. These trains travel at speeds up to 200 MPH without intervention from Elon Musk, along tracks that are often over 50 years old. In the yard, the containers are moved to conventional trucks for local delivery.

      Uber solves a problem in countries which are too backward or corrupt to fund their railways like their roads - backwardness and corruption are very widespread, so it might sell quite well if it works.

      --
      Sent from my ASR33 using ASCII
  4. I notice by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    ....that the autonomous truck is driving in places with nearly no weather.

    I'm pretty astonished that this is taking place; I assume that eventually - as is almost certain to ultimately happen - that when an autonomous truck hits/kills someone (even if it's their fault), all parties involved will be sued into oblivion.

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re: I notice by mrchew1982 · · Score: 2

      The sad thing is that even as incomplete and failure prone as these systems are, THEY'RE BETTER THAN THE MAJORITY OF DRIVERS OUT THERE who are too tired, too distracted, too conceited and in too much of a hurry.

    2. Re:I notice by tquasar · · Score: 1

      I can believe that the vehicles may work on highways with little traffic but not in urban areas where humans make unpredictable moves.

    3. Re:I notice by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      when an autonomous truck hits/kills someone (even if it's their fault), all parties involved will be sued into oblivion.

      Tesla Autopilot has already killed several people. No one was sued into oblivion. How is this different?

      If anything, this reduces legal costs over human driving, since there are detailed recordings of exactly what happened.

    4. Re: I notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the human driver will be sued but you cant sue an ai. this has already happened.

    5. Re:I notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      >Tesla Autopilot has already killed several people
      It has ?
      > No one was sued into oblivion
      probably because tesla does state that you need to pay attention all the time and need to intervene immediately when asked.

    6. Re:I notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Have the cases gone to court and completed, are there pending cases?

      To answer the sibling's point, a T&C statement is not necessarily binding in all jurisdictions. If you put a bear trap on your drive and a warning sign, it's not impossible you could be sued by someone that stepped on it. Sometimes the law requires more proactive measures. In this case, the courts may decide, and the legal view may vary by country.

    7. Re:I notice by be951 · · Score: 2

      a T&C statement is not necessarily binding in all jurisdictions.

      When Tesla says that you must be fully attentive, with hands on the wheel at all times and not rely on autopilot to drive for you, those are not terms and conditions. They're operating instructions. If I put a metal dish in my microwave, and it is damaged as a result, I'm out of luck. The microwave may have still operated (for a time) when I put something in it that the instructions say it isn't meant to handle, but that does not mean the use was appropriate or reasonable. Similar concept here. Intentionally using a device/machine contrary to explicit operating instructions, then suing when something bad happens typically does not go very well for the plaintiff.

    8. Re: I notice by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep, years ago I broke down on the 5 in California, thumbed a ride with a 'mater-freighter'.

      He was high on krank (old school speed) and keeping two sets of log books.

      I'm sure things are better now, with GPS tracking of trucks/cargo, but still, be wary around big rigs during tomato season.

    9. Re: I notice by fluffernutter · · Score: 1

      That's ridiculous, there is no way with the current state of AI that it would be better than an average human driver today. If that's the case, then why do people have to be alert for Autopilot?

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
  5. This is a glorified railway system by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is a glorified railway system and I am not the least bit impressed.

  6. Can I ask a stupid question,...... by AbRASiON · · Score: 1

    Show me the receipts,......

    No really though, I've seen I think now, at least 3 articles in the past 6 months, discussing limited running of genuinely autonomous vehicles on the roads.

    Note the headline: "Uber Self-Driving Trucks Are *Now* Moving" ,....

    So for all these articles I've not seen a single photo or video of an actual self driving vehicle operating on it's own without being either PR video or testing video.

    Is this /actually/ occurring or just claimed to be? I find the tech exciting and interesting. Scary for the world for certain but it is interesting and it's very very obviously not going away. So, more pics, more video, more evidence or, less talking.

    1. Re:Can I ask a stupid question,...... by ElizabethGreene · · Score: 2

      > I've not seen a single photo or video of an actual self driving vehicle operating on it's own because the technology is still in development.

      The technology is still in development, but that shouldn't lead you to believe the humans are driving them. For the test cars they are there in case of an emergency but doing very little driving. Waymo/Google has clocked 5 million autonomous miles.

      If you live in Phoenix and want to ride in an a meatless Waymo (uber-killer) taxi you can apply here for the beta. https://waymo.com/apply/

      People are starting to post videos of them in the wild. e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

      This is a technology creeping towards the tipping point. My bet is that we've grossly underestimated the impact of the technology.

    2. Re:Can I ask a stupid question,...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's far from the tipping point. These are all optimal weather and optimal road conditions. Obstacles are rare on highways and highways are far better maintained than other roads.

      When we get them autonomous cars will completely transform modern society, assuming they aren't locked up in subscription based taxi-type companies. Expect some companies to lobby really hard for that type of monopoly. This could become a bitter fight for personal freedom.

      I know I wouldn't have spent money on an apartment when I was a student if I could have slept in an electric car as it drove around the beltway all night. I'd also currently be living some place where I could see the milky-way at night and would be commuting 3 hours each way. Those two things are just the tip of the ice-burgh.

    3. Re:Can I ask a stupid question,...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Commuting three hours each way is still a lot of hours you can't do anything else. Whilst you might conceivably sleep in the morning, arriving home at 8pm each night would not work well with a family, unless you can work in the car on the way home and leave at 2pm.

      Even then, it's a potentially high transport cost fue to energy costs.

    4. Re:Can I ask a stupid question,...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually your bet is that you are a hypemonster. All you share is the same crap. These self-driving vehicles have human drivers in them. The figures of "autonomous" driving are a complete sham. When there have been accidents, the drivers in the "self-driving" cars explain why they may have taken control of the vehicle too late. In other words, the human is always there to assess and engage. So what if the human engaging to stop an accident or keep the vehicle going rather than glitching can be characterized as only driving for a small number of miles. The human is in fact driving throughout to keep the vehicle working.

      5 million autonomous miles is a blatant lie. Autonomous is without a driver. There are no 5 million autonomous miles.

      Stock manipulating false hype numbers.

    5. Re:Can I ask a stupid question,...... by Kjella · · Score: 1

      If you live in Phoenix and want to ride in an a meatless Waymo (uber-killer) taxi you can apply here for the beta.

      AFAIK they've moved the engineer to the back seat, but meatless is still an exaggeration. The plan is remote assistance, but I haven't seen them even experiment with that yet. Besides they probably have to win the public confidence first and then say "See, you don't really need me here" later. Particularly if you give it the voice from HAL 9000...

      --
      Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
  7. This is America by rsilvergun · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If there's any serious threat they'll fold the corporation and pay out little or nothing. Then they'll 're-open' on paper without so much as a name change. That's if they don't just keep the lawsuit going until the parties settle out of desperation or die of old age.

    We're a country that poisoned out air for 50 years so our engines wouldn't knock. Autonomous vehicles have so much profit potential that nothing is going to stop them. A few highway fatalities here and there certainly aren't.

    --
    Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
  8. Ride Sharing by EzInKy · · Score: 1

    As long as Uber allows anyone heading their way to jump on board, all is good.

    --
    Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
  9. Uh-huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sure, they are. The hype and deceit around this currently non-existent technology is nuts. There are no functional, fully autonomous vehicles outside of carefully controlled environments, and I doubt there will be anytime soon.

  10. Holy Moly! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    What? The unions are gonna go apeshit! Now, how will they get paid for something that one can do half awake? Burn AI down, and leave the bottom feeders alone! The leeches of society must eat, too!

    1. Re:Holy Moly! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just so you know, the unions don't have a lot of pull in the trucking industry anymore.

      Too many giant non-union shops out there. Swift, Knight, Celadon, CRST, blah...blah...blah.

  11. automatic pilot by bigtreeman · · Score: 1

    just like in flying high
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    --
    Go well
  12. we have not found jimmy hoffa I think jay in backh by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 1

    we have not found jimmy hoffa I think jay in backhoe was the last person to see him

  13. Typoe by loslosbaby · · Score: 1

    Inn soulidarity wif da teechers what do boot be strikin' here in Auklandhoma: Yur artikal has typoe: "...just as it dos..."

  14. Uber and the Emperor's new clothes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Have studies been conducted on the advantages/carbon footprint of rail versus trucks in general?