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Locomation, Wilson Announce Large-Scale Autonomous Truck Purchase Order
September 24, 2020 | Business WireEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Locomation, the leading provider of safe and reliable autonomous trucking technology, announced the world’s first autonomous truck purchase order from Wilson Logistics, an industry-leading transportation logistics company based in Springfield, MO. Under the terms of the deal, a minimum of 1,120 Wilson Logistics tractors are to be equipped with Locomation’s groundbreaking Autonomous Relay Convoy (ARCTM) technology, with the first units delivered in early 2022. Additionally, the deal amends the commercial agreement between the two companies to extend through 2028.
“We understand the importance of autonomous vehicle technology to the future of Wilson Logistics, and choosing our AV partner has been a deliberate process,” explained Darrel Wilson, Founder and CEO of Wilson Logistics. “In Locomation we see the most viable path to safe, rapid, and broad commercialization and we’re proud to make this purchase commitment. Locomation delivers both the technology and the implementation methods required to enable Wilson Logistics to realize our strategic plans for profitable growth through technology.”
“Wilson Logistics is a leader in the industry with significant focus on driver quality of life, overall fleet safety and operational excellence. This purchase order is just the beginning of a significant leap toward autonomous technology for the entire trucking sector,” said Dr. Çetin Meriçli, CEO and Co-Founder of Locomation. “Wilson Logistics has been an excellent partner and their multi-year commitment to Locomation demonstrates the strong industry validation of our autonomous technology in freight transportation.”
The agreement follows a successful pilot program with Wilson Logistics this summer that included two Locomation trucks hauling Wilson Logistics trailers and freight deployed as an Autonomous Relay Convoy (ARCTM) on a 420 mile-long route from Portland, OR to Nampa, ID. ARCTM allows one driver to pilot a lead truck equipped with technology augmentation while a follower truck operates in tandem through Locomation’s fully autonomous system. Each ARCTM segment is engineered for maximum yield and utilization by Locomation’s business operations team.
“Working with the Wilson Logistics team, we defined road segments to maximize asset utilization by capitalizing on freight density in each lane which enables shippers and carriers to substantially increase their use of available capacity,” explained Tom Kroswek, head of business development at Locomation. “We then used our proprietary analysis methods to identify opportunities to optimize pricing to maximize yield per mile.
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