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Pittsburgh-based autonomous vehicle company Locomation is partnering with Stevens Trucking to implement its “human-guided autonomy” technology in the El Reno, Okla.-based company’s fleet.
The autonomous vehicles will travel in two-truck convoys. The one in front will have a human driver. The one in the back will have a human, too — but resting, not driving, while AI handles navigation.
The setup, which Locomation calls Autonomous Relay Convoys (ARC), allows the two drivers to take shifts, which enables the trucks to travel up to 22 hours a day. Locomation says ARC trucks deliver twice as much cargo, twice as fast, all while reducing fuel waste due to the reduction in truck idle time and reduced drag between the synchronized vehicles.
We’re so proud to announce that @LocomationAI has signed Stevens Trucking Company of El Reno, Oklahoma as the fourth customer for our Autonomous Relay Convoy system! #autonomoustrucks #ai #transportation #supplychain #freightcapacityhttps://t.co/Dntjcg0Xwd
— Locomation, Inc. (@LocomationAI) August 30, 2022
That’s obviously good news for trucking companies, which are looking to optimize further in the wake of increased online deliveries.
“The economics are profound,” said Kenney Stevens, president of Stevens Trucking, “and we want more than our fair share of the opportunity.”
That share won’t come until late 2023 or 2024 at the earliest, the timeline Locomation most recently gave for ARC’s rollout. (Locomation previously said it would deploy the technology in late 2022.)
Locomation has also partnered with Wilson Logistics of Springfield, Mo., Christenson Transportation of Stafford, Mo., and PGT Trucking, closer to home in Aliquippa. This is its fourth commercial partnership.
Ultimately, the partnership in Oklahoma, a state criss-crossed with national highways, ensures Locomation’s technology will have a broader reach. Cole Stevens, vice president of sales at Stevens, estimates that one-fifth of the nation’s freight passes through the Oklahoma City area where Stevens is based.
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