Doors produced by Steves & Sons Inc. will soon be driving themselves to customers. Or, the trucks that transport some of the company’s products will be self-driving, at least.
Through a pilot program with the company’s managed logistics provider, J.B. Hunt Transport Inc., and a strategic partnership with Bot Auto, a Houston-based autonomous logistics technology company, select deliveries from San Antonio to Dallas and Houston will be handled by autonomous trucks. “Once testing is complete and the technology has been fully validated, the trucks will operate in a fully autonomous capacity,” Scott Lovett, chief operations officer for Steves & Sons tells [DWM].
The move is expected to enhance supply chain efficiency, reliability and scalability, Lovett says.
Autonomous transportation is likely to play a key role in the future of logistics, he believes.
Due to confidentiality agreements, Lovett is unable to share details about the specific artificially intelligent technologies involved in the autonomous trucking program, but according to Bot Auto’s website, Level 4 (L4) autonomous driving technology enables vehicles to operate without human intervention “within specific conditions or geographic areas.”
The concept is referred to as Operational Design Domain (ODD). While Level 3 autonomous driving systems require a driver to be in the cab, ready to take over, Level 4 vehicles can operate independently, “even if a human fails to respond to a takeover request,” Bot Auto’s website says. The technology is currently used in autonomous ride services like Waymo and Cruise, but Bot Auto offers its transportation‑as‑a‑service (TaaS) to commercial freight customers. The collaboration with J.B. Hunt and Steves is expected to be a four-month pilot program.
According to Bizjournals, Texas, especially the Houston–Dallas corridor, is becoming a global hub for autonomous trucking, due to business-friendly laws and major logistics infrastructure.
When considering the technology, one concern for Steves & Sons included ensuring that the transition to autonomous trucks wouldn’t disrupt customers or compromise service quality, Lovett says. But, “After rigorous planning and collaboration with J.B. Hunt, we’re confident that this innovation can enhance our logistics network without negatively impacting our partners,” he adds.
In fact, it’s quite the opposite.
Autonomous transport is expected to improve supply chain efficiency, enhancing delivery times and reliability, and “It will also include cost reductions related to optimized routing, fuel consumption, maintenance and labor,” Lovett says.
Of course, the number one consideration was safety.
“That is why we partnered with an organization like Bot Auto that not only shares our commitment to safety but also brings advanced technologies to support it,” he says.
According to various news sources, Bot Auto’s system uses safety systems such as lidar, radar and cameras.
Overall, the move is more than just a technical upgrade, Lovett says. “I believe this represents a broader cultural and operational shift.”