Autonomous truck hitting the road for real

Fleet operator Knight-Swift Transportation has taken possession of a Kenworth truck equipped with Embark Trucks’ autonomous technology. (Photo: Embark)

Embark Trucks, Inc., a California-based developer of autonomous technology for the trucking industry, and Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings Inc., one of North America’s largest and most diversified freight transportation companies, have announced that Embark has initiated handover of the first Embark-driven truck as part of the Truck Transfer Program (TTP).

TTP marks the first public initiative where a carrier will directly own and operate a truck with select features of Embark’s automated driving software, allowing Embark to gain valuable insight from having its system components operating in a carrier customer’s duty cycle.

For the first time, a carrier – Knight-Swift – will place its own drivers behind the wheel of an Embark-driven truck, allowing the fleet to collect data regarding system safety and operational performance. The first Embark-powered truck will begin integrating into Knight-Swift’s daily operations to move loads for large shippers on the Los Angeles to Phoenix route.

“I am excited to take delivery, so our drivers and customers can provide direct feedback on the technology as we use it in day-to-day operations to enable new safety and efficiency in trucking” said Knight Swift CEO, Dave Jackson.

Embark and Knight-Swift have been jointly working on operational initiatives to prepare for the handoff of Embark-driven trucks into Knight-Swift’s daily operations, including developing maintenance procedures for AV systems. (Photo: Embark)

To meet the uptime requirements of a commercial fleet, Embark has focused on hardening its Embark Universal Interface and Embark Driver software. This system hardening includes improvements in calibration and maintainability of the system, enabling quick troubleshooting so that trucks can get back on the road.

Embark and Knight-Swift have been jointly working on several operational initiatives to prepare for the handoff of Embark-driven trucks into Knight-Swift’s daily operations. These initiatives include developing maintenance procedures for AV systems, pre- and post-trip inspections, training and certifying Knight-Swift drivers and escalation policies for maintenance issues. Embark is also training Knight-Swift technicians on how to service and interact with the trucks.

While on the road, Embark-powered trucks will be monitored and supported by Embark Guardian, a combination of cloud-based fleet management software and personnel, which together will monitor the health of the Embark system while enhancing safety on the road.

This outside perspective and collaboration with Knight-Swift drivers brings critical insights to Embark’s system as the company continues to execute on its commercialization effort and go-to-market strategy.

“Handing over the first Embark-powered truck to the Knight-Swift team tops off a year in which Embark has made critical strides to close the gap between testing our autonomous technology and scaling it across customer fleets,” said Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues. “The Truck Transfer Program will be a model for the industry as we move from the R&D and pilot phase toward commercialization.”