Shippers take note: Brokers lead the FreightTech charge

Legacy trucking companies, once at the forefront of innovation, have fallen behind in the FreightTech arms race in recent years. Freight brokerages are now the trailblazers.

By implementing the latest visibility technologies, brokerages like Loadsmith are now confidently competing with the largest asset-based carriers.

“Digital freight matching and real-time rating and visibility — the greatest advancements in [freight] technology over the last five years — have not been developed by your...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/shippers-take-note-brokers-lead-the-freighttech-charge

Loadsmith’s capacity as a service to help launch autonomous future

While the industry takes steps toward autonomous trucking, Loadsmith is taking giant leaps.

With its sights set on becoming the first fully autonomous trucking company, Loadsmith is leaning further into capacity as a service to bolster its autonomous future.

The third-party logistics platform is taking its largest step yet, recently selecting Mastery Logistics’ MasterMind TMS to power its capacity-as-a-service platform. CEO Brett Suma said the partnership will be integral in equipping Loadsmith...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/loadsmiths-capacity-as-a-service-to-help-launch-autonomous-future

TuSimple may sell autonomous truck business in China to boost share price

TuSimple Holdings shares, battered since announcing a sudden leadership change earlier in March, rebounded Wednesday after Reuters reported the autonomous truck developer may offload its autonomous trucking business in China.

TuSimple (NASDAQ: TSP), which leads the commercialization of autonomous trucking in the U.S., hasn’t talked much about its China business, which focused on deepwater ports near Shanghai. TuSimple is in talks to sell the unit for up to $1 billion, Reuters said, citing three...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tusimple-may-sell-autonomous-truck-business-in-china-to-boost-share-price

Kodiak hauling autonomous loads for Ceva from Texas to Oklahoma City

Kodiak Robotics is hauling freight autonomously from Texas to Oklahoma City as part of a partnership with third-party logistics giant Ceva Logistics.

Other than test runs of watermelons that rival TuSimple delivered to the Sooner State from Arizona last May, Kodiak claims the first regular deliveries using autonomous trucks. And they come as Ceva, like other shippers, struggles to find enough drivers.

“At Ceva, we define innovation as the implementation of new ideas with business impact, and our...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/kodiak-hauling-autonomous-loads-for-ceva-from-texas-to-oklahoma-city

Tech providers, regulators must team up to create autonomous future

Once characterized as “backward” and “resistant,” the logistics industry has taken strides to shed its luddicious reputation over the last several years. Companies across the industry are working together to shape the future of logistics, with a strong emphasis on sustainability and innovation. 

Autonomous trucks have garnered a significant amount of attention during this transition thanks to their impressive environmental benefits and inherent ability to solve a variety of industry ills. While...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tech-providers-regulators-must-team-up-to-create-autonomous-future

Truck Tech: Autonomous perspectives edition

Welcome back to Truck Tech. This week, we’re unpacking the recent CES panel discussion I moderated that featured autonomous truck developer TuSimple, its manufacturing partners Navistar and Scania, and Nicole Nason, a veteran administrator of federal highways and previously the nation’s top safety regulator. 

Autonomous trucking’s challenges

Taking stock of the challenges facing autonomous trucking led to some unexpected observations around route planning, infrastructure, the driver shortage and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/truck-tech-autonomous-perspectives-edition

DSC chat: Autonomous freight hauling promises benefits for supply chain

This fireside chat is a recap from FreightWaves’ Domestic Supply Chain Summit, focusing on the role autonomous trucks will play in freight hauling.

FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: Reaching the autonomous value equation

DETAILS:

All the uptime requirements and total-cost-of-operation metrics that apply to trucking today will be expected of autonomous trucks. Even in the early days, driverless trucks will offer advantages in safety and fuel efficiency. The gigantic value comes when a human driver is no longer...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/dsc-chat-autonomous-freight-hauling-promises-benefits-for-supply-chain

Torc Robotics takes the long view as Daimler Truck’s autonomous insider

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Most of the autonomous vehicle pioneers Michael Fleming assembled more than 15 years ago at Virginia Tech to form Torc Robotics are still with the independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck, charged with leading the company to profitable driverless trucks.

They face less pressure than some of their startup competitors that raised money via special purpose acquisition companies and now face the filing of quarterly financial reports and other demands that can distract from...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/torc-robotics-takes-the-long-view-as-daimler-trucks-autonomous-insider

This autonomous ride-along was boring — and that’s a good thing

PALMER, Texas — Successful autonomous trucking runs have nothing in common. As in nothing happens that the robot driver cannot handle as intended. That includes knowing to slow down for the man who occasionally walks his dog along Interstate 45 south of Dallas.

Aurora Innovation’s autonomous trucks have seen the man and the dog before and the robot Aurora Driver systems learned to brake almost imperceptibly, obeying the Texas law to shift one lane to the left or reduce its speed by 20 mph.

“The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/this-autonomous-ride-along-was-boring-and-thats-a-good-thing

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