Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) has announced a new hub-to-hub autonomous transport solution, designed to serve four main customer segments: shippers; carriers; logistics service providers; and freight brokers.
VAS will partner with global logistics provider DHL Supply Chain as its first customer to pilot the hub-to-hub solution.
VAS, in collaboration with Aurora, has been working on a technical solution to offer autonomous trucks in the US, while also developing a complete Transport-as-a-Service (TaaS) solution for integrated and scalable autonomous freight capacity for highway applications. The Autonomous Transport Solution will be configured to different customer-segment requirements to transport freight autonomously on major US highway networks.
“Today, the increasing demand for freight is outgrowing capacity and solutions must be bolder, safer, smarter and more sustainable to move the world forward,” says Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “This is more than an autonomous truck – it is the Autonomous Transport Solution, which we believe will create value for the entire transportation ecosystem, all with optimized operations that reduce emissions and increase safety.”
DHL and the Volvo Group have a long history of working together, and this new collaboration will help pave the way for VAS’s logistics service providers customer segment. The strategic partnership is rooted in a common goal to bring best-in-class technology that brings new levels of efficiency, safety and quality in autonomous freight for North America and beyond. The future deployment of the Class 8 Volvo VNL autonomous trucks will be DHL’s first TaaS operation globally.
“We are full-speed-ahead on the adoption of the next wave of transportation solutions including autonomous trucks and confident that global leaders like Volvo will help to accelerate their development,” says Jim Monkmeyer, president, Transportation, DHL Supply Chain North America. “We see huge potential in advanced technology solutions like autonomous trucks to address the needs of our customers around efficiency, reliability and increased capacity, which only hastened during the pandemic. But our collaboration aims higher than an autonomous truck – we hope our partnership with Volvo will help shape a safer and more sustainable future for all.”
