For the next two weeks, package deliveries in the Southwest could get to your doorstep by way of robo-truck.
Starting Tuesday, self-driving truck company TuSimple is taking on a U.S. Postal Service (USPS) route between the national postal service's Phoenix and Dallas distribution centers – that's more than 1,000 miles the mail trailers cover throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Several autonomous trucks will run for 22 hours, including night driving, with a safety engineer and driver on board for five round-trip delivery hauls. These types of routes (long-haul with quick turnaround) usually require a two-member driving team since it goes overnight.
TuSimple is a Chinese startup that started testing in Arizona a few years ago and is slated to have 50 autonomous trucks in its fleet by next month. Now it hopes to show with the USPS pilot that its robo-trucks can handle these labor-intensive routes. Then USPS (or other trucking partners) can keep shorter, closer-to-home routes for human drivers. Those routes tend to be more complicated and require more nuance.
U.S. Postal Service truck routes will be taken over by self-driving trucks in a two-week pilot.Credit: Dünzl/ullstein bild via Getty ImagesUSPS could cut down costs if it can deploy trucks for longer hours, especially on routes that are normally human intensive. Studies point to a possible truck driver shortage in coming years with an aging workforce, especially for long-haul trips.
SEE ALSO:Amazon patents delivery robot that docks at your houseLast week, TuSimple swatted away rumors that e-commerce giant Amazon was looking to acquire the self-driving delivery company. Chinese media had reported possible negotiations. An Amazon spokesperson emailed Mashable that the company doesn't comment on rumors or speculation.
Tweet may have been deleted
Meanwhile in Sweden, driverless truck deliveries from Einride started last week on public roads there -- with a very futuristic look.
(责任编辑：知識)
This 'sh*tpost' bot makes terrible memes so you don't have to
Domino's Japan is training reindeer to deliver holiday pizza. Yes, really.
Local authority instantly regrets asking public to name new gritter
Things stay 'Broken AF' in the 'Insecure' season finaleSnapchat is about to explode in popularity, report saysPlayStation Now game streaming is coming to PC
Sony's PlayStation Now service is launching for Windows PC, meaning subscribers will soon be able to
...[详细]Local authority instantly regrets asking public to name new gritter
LONDON -- If there's one thing that whole Boaty McBoatface saga taught us, it's that the public can
...[详细]The 'Gilmore Girls' revival is here, and so are the dramatic responses from fans
Netflix's Gilmore Girls revival has barely been out in the world for a day, but fans are already in
...[详细]Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot is coming mid
Buyers of Tesla's Model S and Model X cars will start getting new self-driving capabilities in their
...[详细]Nancy Pelosi warns colleagues after info hacked
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi warned fellow Democrats on Saturday to change their cellphone num
...[详细]India admits defect in newly issued Rs 500 notes, creates more confusion among citizens
In what is yet another sign of India's unpreparedness in the aftermath of invalidating its most circ
...[详细]'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' tickets are on sale Monday, November 28
This is even better than a Tosche Station sale on power converters: Tickets for Rogue One: A Star Wa
...[详细]Tesla's Enhanced Autopilot is coming mid
Buyers of Tesla's Model S and Model X cars will start getting new self-driving capabilities in their
...[详细]MashReads Podcast: What makes a good summer read?
Summer is coming to a close and that means one thing -- last-minute vacations!。SEE ALSO:'Ice Cream B
...[详细]Things stay 'Broken AF' in the 'Insecure' season finale
This post contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of Insecure, titled "Broken as Fuck."On the seas
...[详细]
