The two Alphabet companies are working on automating logistics operations, too, in places like warehouses and ports—but they face increasing competition.
The news: A Waymo trial is hauling cargo between Google’s Atlanta data centers. Waymo will also work with Google’s logistics team to find other places in the supply chain where self-driving technology can be used—inside factories and distribution centers, say, or at port terminals.
Going the distance: Waymo has already driven five million miles on public roads and another five billion in simulation. Even though most of those miles were for passenger vehicles, the firm says nearly a decade of experience gives it a head start in trucking.
But: There’s a lot of competition to automate trucking (or is that “truckers out of jobs”?). Embark’s driverless trucks went on a cross-country trip last month. Starsky Robotics recently tested a self-driving truck without anyone in it on a Florida road. Uber revealed earlier this week that its autonomous 18-wheelers are hauling freight. And Tesla’s Semi will have self-driving capabilities and be electric. Ten-four, Waymo?
