Ascend, a truckload carrier that offers middle-mile supply chain solutions, announced a commercial partnership with Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS). Ascend is the first asset-based truckload carrier to reserve capacity for VAS’s hub-to-hub autonomous transportation offering in the first lane planned for operation.
Ascend Dedicated is the firm’s newest arm which is being built upon the strong foundation of Dedicated Transportation Solutions LLC (DTS) that was acquired last year. Ascend Dedicated will pick up customer loads and transport them to VAS hubs in Dallas and Houston, Texas. From there, VAS will complete the onward linehaul movement to its destination hub from which Ascend drivers will transport loads to their final destinations.
“In the future, the VAS transportation solution could combine the service and transit time benefits afforded by point-to-point truckload movements with the linehaul advantages of intermodal rail transportation,” said, Michael McLary, chief executive officer, Ascend.
By working with VAS and supporting the real-world development of this technology, Ascend seeks to accelerate the advancement of autonomous driving technology.
