Waymo, Alphabet Inc.’s self-driving unit, is partnering with trucking giant J.B. Hunt to begin testing how well its autonomous big rigs handle hauling loads for commercial customers on Texas highways, starting with a freight run between Houston and Fort Worth. 

Test runs will be made with autonomous Waymo Via semis carrying freight for J.B. Hunt on the 260 miles of Interstate 45 running between the two Texas cities. Trucks will operate in “Level 4” autonomous mode, handling the driving functions a human normally would, but a commercially licensed driver and a Waymo technician will be in the cab to monitor the robotic Waymo Driver’s performance during the delivery runs. The companies say their partnership is aimed at seeing how autonomous trucks can be integrated into commercial fleets and if they deliver improved safety and more efficient operations. 

“This will be one of the first opportunities for J.B. Hunt to receive data and feedback on customer freight moved with a Class 8 tractor operating at this level of autonomy,” said Craig Harper, chief sustainability officer and executive vice president for J.B. Hunt. “While we believe there will be a need for highly skilled, professional drivers for many years to come, it is important for J.B. Hunt as an industry leader to be involved early in the development of advanced autonomous technologies and driving systems to ensure that their implementation will improve efficiency while enhancing safety.”

Autonomous trucking remains a particularly dynamic area of self-driving tech development, owing to a shortage of long-haul drivers in the U.S. and an operating environment on highways that is somewhat simpler than crowded city streets that robotaxis must master. Waymo has numerous competitors in high-tech trucking, including TuSimple, Aurora Innovation, Embark and Kodiak. Waabi, a new Toronto-based self-driving tech startup led by former Uber ATG chief scientist Raquel Urtasun, said its initial focus would also be on long-haul trucking. 

Waymo, which is developing autonomous trucks with Daimler’s Freightliner unit, set up a trucking depot in Dallas last year. It currently has a fleet of 47 big rigs registered with the U.S. Transportation Department, second only to San Diego-based TuSimple’s 50. Unlike Waymo, which is developing its autonomous system to drive robotaxis, personal vehicles and delivery vans, Nasdaq-listed TuSimple focuses solely on long-haul autonomous trucking.

“We’re thrilled to collaborate with J.B. Hunt as we advance and commercialize the Waymo Driver,” said Charlie Jatt, Waymo’s head of commercialization for trucking. “It’s companies and relationships like these that will make this technology a commercial reality in the coming years.”

Waymo is the biggest and most mature autonomous vehicle company in the U.S., starting as the Google Self-Driving Car Project in 2009. The companies didn’t share any financial details of their trucking partnership or identify commercial customers.