Self-driving truck developer TuSimple is launching the worldβs first autonomous freight network as part of its effort to bring the self-driving technology to market.
βOur ultimate goal is to have a nationwide transportation network consisting of mapped routes connecting hundreds of terminals to enable efficient, low-cost long-haul autonomous freight operations,β said Cheng Lu, president of TuSimple. βBy launching the AFN with our strategic partners, we will be able to quickly scale operations and expand autonomous shipping lanes to provide users access to autonomous capacity anywhere and 24/7 on-demand.β
The network β which includes UPS, Penske, U.S. Xpress and McLane Company, Inc. β will also help advance TuSimpleβs understanding of and refine its responses on the road, the company said in a news release. Part of the AFN includes the launch of TuSimple Connect, an autonomous operations safety monitoring system.
The Autonomous Freight Network will roll out in three phrases, and lays the groundwork for self-driving autonomous trucks to become commercially available by 2024:
β’ Phase I (2020-21) will offer service between Tucson, Phoenix, El Paso, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.
β’ Phase II (2022-23) will expand AFN service from Los Angeles to Jacksonville, Florida, and connect the East Coast with the west.
β’ Phase III (2023-24) will expand driverless operations nationwide, adding major shipping routes throughout the Lower 48 states allowing customers to utilize their own TuSimple equipped autonomous trucks on the AFN by 2024.
The company will replicate the strategy in Europe and Asia after the AFN rolls out nationwide, the news release said.
TuSimple already operates autonomously on seven different routes between Phoenix, Tucson, El Paso and Dallas. This fall, TuSimple will open a new shipping terminal in Dallas.
TuSimple is headquartered in San Diego with facilities in Tucson, Shanghai and Beijing.
