Uber shut down its self-driving truck platform last week but promised in an exclusive interview with FreightWaves that Uber Freight was not going anywhere. Today, the company has not only confirmed that promise, but it has doubled down on the future of Uber Freight.
Google invests $550 million in JD.com, the e-commerce major from China, marking its advent into the logistics world.
Donald Broughton says that the oil boom and Trump tax cuts are driving a young industrial expansion cycle; shippers continue to adjust supply chains to minimize transport costs; Google invests $550M in Chinese e-commerce site JD.com; China may put a tariff on US oil imports; Brazil’s trucker strike shattered economic growth outlooks; Asia-North America container rates are softening.
Irrespective of who wins the race to deploy the first fully autonomous vehicles, the unanimous view was that in the future, size is going to matter and carriers/OEMs will need balance sheets to be able to survive.
The demand for last-mile services has increased by 50% in the last 18 months, driven primarily by the B2C companies.
Waymo announced late on Friday that its self-driving trucks will begin delivering goods for Google’s logistics operation in Atlanta.
Smart cities plan to roll out the latest in transportation technology to help keep their towns clean and safe.
Rolls-Royce envisions a future of autonomous cargo and naval vessels controlled from futuristic shore facilities. Click through to watch their sci-fi style film about how a Finnish shore control center responds to losing contact with one of its ships.
One of 2017’s biggest stories in the emerging autonomous vehicles industry—Waymo’s $2.6B lawsuit against Uber over stolen trade secrets—revolves around a single piece of technology that is currently fueling a frenzied global competition for investment dollars, engineering expertise, and manufacturing capacity.
In an effort to ramp up its customer experience for the mobile shopper, Walmart has confirmed its relationship with search engine giant Google, Bloomberg reported, to allow customers to order goods with their voice. The company is also making it easier for consumers to return goods bought through its mobile app.
The first unofficial pictures of Waymo’s self-driving truck have emerged, creating a stir among the companies racing to become the first to make a production autonomous truck available.
Walmart is testing a program where store associates will deliver online purchases, which could have a major impact on package delivery companies. Also, Waymo is testing a self-driving truck and monthly freight index climbs.
