PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) and U.S. Xpress Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: USX), one of the largest asset-based truckload carriers in the U.S., announced a collaboration to explore the deployment of the Aurora Driver within U.S. Xpress operations. This strategic collaboration is designed to fine-tune Aurora’s autonomous Driver-as-a-Service product, Aurora Horizon, for efficient deployment at commercial scale.
Aurora plans to leverage the intelligence of Variant, U.S. Xpress’s digitally enabled fleet, to identify where autonomous technology can have the greatest impact. The companies plan to identify optimal deployment strategies of Aurora Driver-powered trucks so they’re strategically positioned to address unmet demand and improve operational efficiency and productivity. Aurora and U.S. Xpress also will explore application programming interface (API) integrations into Variant’s platform to enhance dispatching and dynamic routing upon the launch of Aurora Horizon.
Through this collaboration, the companies plan to build a future where goods are transported by both human drivers and autonomous trucks. Aurora and U.S. Xpress have committed to exploring how autonomous technology can create a positive impact on the labor market by investing in programs that provide opportunities for new jobs.
“The future of trucking will involve innovative technology that Aurora is developing, which is why we’re collaborating now to assure we’re first to market with autonomous trucks,” said Eric Fuller, President and CEO of U.S. Xpress. “Professional truck drivers will always have a place with our company, while autonomous trucks will supplement and help provide much-needed capacity to the supply chain.”
“Aurora carefully designs its industry collaborations to enhance the value and maximize the impact our product can deliver for our partners' businesses,” said Sterling Anderson, Aurora’s Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer. “U.S. Xpress not only shares our commitment to safety, efficiency, and realizing the benefits of technology for good, but has leaned into it in a big way. We’re excited to partner with them to deliver the benefits of this transformative technology for their business, their people, and the people they serve.”
About Aurora
Aurora Innovation, Inc. (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly. Founded in 2017 by experts in the self-driving industry, Aurora is revolutionizing transportation – making it safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. Its flagship product, the Aurora Driver, is a platform that brings together software, hardware, and data services, to autonomously operate passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and heavy-duty trucks. Aurora is partnered with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem including Toyota, Uber, Volvo, FedEx, and PACCAR. Aurora tests its vehicles in the Bay Area, Pittsburgh, and Texas and has offices in those areas as well as in Bozeman, MT; Seattle, WA; Louisville, CO; and Wixom, MI. To learn more, visit www.aurora.tech.
About U.S. Xpress
U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. is on a mission to make goods move better every day. Since its founding in 1985, the Company has evolved into a vital link in the supply chain, providing a portfolio of capacity solutions for its customers. This includes an established Dedicated fleet servicing some of the nation’s largest shippers, along with innovative over-the-road (OTR) and brokerage solutions. Variant, the Company’s driver-first OTR division, is the fastest-growing fleet in the industry. U.S. Xpress’ brokerage offering, Xpress Technologies, provides greater capacity for shippers, and for carriers, tools and resources to better manage and grow their business. Powered by more than 10,000 professionals, these businesses are driving innovation across the industry and helping to shape the future of logistics.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This Press Release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including but not limited, to those statements around our collaboration activities and goals. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, please see the risks and uncertainties identified under the heading “Risk Factors” section of the definitive Registration Statement of Aurora Innovation, Inc. (“Aurora) on Form S-1 filed with the SEC on November 12, 2021 and other documents filed by Aurora from time to time with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. All forward-looking statements reflect our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Aurora undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.
