Navistar recently announced a new partnership with Plus, which will integrate its Level 4 autonomous SuperDrive technology stack into International vehicles and other within Navistar’s parent company, the Traton Group. Navistar says this move is in preparation for the future launch of an autonomous commercial pilot program with customers.
Navistar says that it recognizes that high volume and scalability of hub-to-hub operations presents an immediate addressable market of 25 billion miles of long-distance freight on the U.S. interstate system. The company says it strategically selected hub-to-hub operations as the company’s core segment for commercial viability of autonomous implementation. International trucks equipped with SuperDrive by Plus are being validated with a safety driver on routes in Texas, according to Navistar, which expects customer pilots within the year, with commercial deployments expanding incrementally along strategic U.S. corridors.
“There is a strong business case for autonomous technology in the hub-to-hub distribution model, specifically in long-haul transportation where there’s a compelling opportunity to increase operational efficiencies,” said Tobias Glitterstam, chief strategy and transformation officer, Navistar. “Global partnership with a company like Plus allows us to leverage the technical strides they have made as we work together to focus on the commercial viability of Level 4 autonomous driving.”
Navistar tells us its autonomous commercial pilot program is focused on integrated autonomous solutions, which it says will be integrated into customer operations and tailored to fit unique customer requirements.
“Our autonomous commercial pilot program is intended to be a safe, reliable option for customers to explore the deployment and integration of autonomous vehicles into their operations,” said Chet Ciesielski, vice president, on-highway business, Navistar. “As always, we are committed to being a trusted partner as we seek to develop solutions for autonomous driving technology that increase our customers’ operating efficiencies, improve road safety, and alleviate strains in the supply chain.”
“We are excited to partner with Navistar to build the next generation of transportation solutions enabled by our industry-leading autonomy technology,” added Shawn Kerrigan, chief operations officer and co-founder of Plus. “By leveraging our experience deploying our highly modular and flexible autonomous driving software across the U.S., we can help accelerate the commercialization of autonomous trucks that can easily be integrated into customer operations.”
