Keep on trucking: Waymo resuming self-driving semi testing in Valley
May 29, 2019, 2:45 PM
(Waymo Photo)
(Waymo Photo)
PHOENIX – Waymo is supersizing its testing of autonomous vehicles on Valley roadways.
The company that started as Google’s self-driving car project announced Wednesday it was resuming freight truck testing in the Phoenix area.
Our fully self-driving trucks are returning to Arizona to continue testing on Phoenix area freeways. Let us know what you think if you see them on the road! pic.twitter.com/xkGJ3Cpo3C
— Waymo (@Waymo) May 29, 2019
For now, two trained drivers will be aboard each semitruck, the company said in an email to KTAR News 92.3 FM.
The big rigs use the same sensor technology as the company’s autonomous SUVs and minivans, but configured to suit the size of the vehicles.
Some trucks around the Valley will be empty, and others will carry freight for the purpose of testing, not commercial use.
The aim is to move toward fully driverless trucks when the technology is deemed safe, the company said, but no timetable was provided.
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No details were provided about where in the Valley the trucks would be rolling.
Waymo previously tested trucks in metro Phoenix in 2017, as well as in the Bay Area in California and metro Atlanta.
The company began testing self-driving vehicles in Chandler in spring 2017.
In December 2018, Waymo launched a commercial driverless ride-hailing service covering a roughly 100-square-mile area in the East Valley.
Waymo One, as the service is called, was initially limited to members of the company’s early-rider program.
Earlier this month, plans were announced for a partnership that will allow Lyft ride-hailing app users to book rides in Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.
Waymo’s trucks have competition on the state’s roadways.
Self-driving truck startup TuSimple opened a Tucson testing and development facility in 2017 and has been running its trucks on the state’s highways since then.
Last week, TuSimple announced it had landed a trial run carrying mail between Phoenix and Dallas for the U.S. Postal Service.
