An Uber Freight unit devoted to matching cargo with truckers has been steadily growing despite the pandemic taking a toll on its ride-share business.
An Uber Freight unit devoted to matching cargo with truckers has been steadily growing despite the pandemic taking a toll on its ride-share business. GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA via AFP / JUSTIN SULLIVAN

Uber and its driverless project partner Aurora are expanding freight operations ahead of the holiday season in Texas.

Uber Freight, using Aurora technology, currently runs autonomous deliveries between Dallas and Houston. The plan ahead of the holiday rush is to add a 600-mile commercial lane between the two Texas cities of Fort Worth and El Paso. Aurora and Uber's freight division partnered in a driverless pilot program in December 2021.

"We're crafting Aurora Horizon to help carriers of all sizes alleviate some of the supply-chain pressures that typically accompany [the holiday season]," explained Aurora co-founder Sterling Anderson of the truck-specific self-driving program.

A human operator is on board every driverless trip, Aurora said. Aurora said it plans to operate without humans on board starting in late 2024.

While Uber Freight connects shippers to available truck drivers, there's a safety law in place to ensure that human drivers don't drive more than 11 hours in one day.

That wouldn't be the case for autonomous driving.

FedEx Corp. and Toyoto Motor Corp. are also partnered with Aurora. There has been recent scrutiny toward autonomous driving and this has led to the crippling of startups by worried investors. Aurora has stated the company has enough funds to sustain operations through the launch of Aurora Driver in 2024.

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