Locomation Inc.'s autonomous technology is now expanding to even more fleets of trucks across the country; the Pittsburgh-based maker of autonomous trucking solutions announced a new eight-year agreement with Strafford, Missouri-based Christenson Transportation Inc. that will result in an additional 500 trucks being equipped with Locomation's tech. It comes about one week after the startup announced a recommittal agreement from Wilson Logistics, which is aiming to put Locomation's tech on 1,120 trucks in its flagship fleet.
"We are thrilled to partner with Locomation to offer autonomous trucking services to our customers," Don Christenson, president of Christenson Transportation, said in a press release. "We chose Locomation because we’re convinced they are bringing to market the safest and most viable turnkey model to enable us to deploy autonomous technology in the near term. For Christenson, this is an incredible opportunity to establish a strong early mover presence in the lanes we’ve chosen to launch in and enable us to double our market share."
With its Autonomous Relay Convoy (ARC) technology, Locomation can have two trucks electronically tethered, with the first being led by a human driver while a second driver rests in the autonomously-operated follower truck behind the first. The trucks periodically swap places throughout a trip to allow the drivers to take turns sleeping, which also allows for the functioning time of the two trucks to reach between 20-22 hours per day, all while ensuring that the drivers remain within their operating hours of compliance as set by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"We are delighted to enter this partnership with Christenson Transportation," Dr. Çetin Meriçli, co-founder and CEO of Locomation, said in a release. "With our system in place, Christenson will be primed to boost capacity while saving money, time, and fuel in the short term. Christenson will be at the forefront, able to grab the opportunities that come with operating a supply chain custom built for autonomous trucks."
Christenson Transportation joins Wilson Logistics and PGT Trucking as the so-far announced agreements of trucking companies looking to fit their fleets with Locomation's autonomy solutions, which are set to begin commercial operations in 2023.
