Ryder Partners With Embark to Launch up to 100 Freight Transfer Points
September 16, 2021
Ryder System, Inc., which develops supply chain, transportation, and fleet management solutions, has partnered with Embark Trucks to launch a nationwide network of up to 100 Embark transfer points. Ryder will provide yard operations, maintenance, and fleet management to support a seamless coast-to-coast autonomous network for Embark fleet partners.
Through the partnership, Embark said it plans to establish a network of strategically located transfer points – where freight is moved from driverless long-haul trucks to driver-enabled trucks for first- and last-mile delivery. Ryder said it will serve as the transfer point operator, managing the logistical operations throughout the yard, performing pre- and post-trip inspections, and providing maintenance services for vehicles, as well as the autonomous hardware.
The partnership will initially focus on sites in key freight markets in California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and Florida, through which Embark plans to begin hauling loads in early 2022 in preparation for a larger commercial launch in 2024. Over the next five years, working with a network of real estate operators, the two companies aim to open as many as 100 Embark transfer points nationwide.
“A fully developed transfer point has to include autonomous truck maintenance services and efficient yard operations,” said Alex Rodrigues, CEO of Embark. “By working with Ryder to offer best-in-class truck services throughout our transfer point network, we’re laying the groundwork for seamless coast-to-coast operations of Embark-equipped trucks.”
Embark’s first transfer point model was established in 2019, when it built sites in Los Angeles and Phoenix (see graphic). Since then, the company said it has conducted hundreds of hauls through these sites, refining transfer point capabilities and evaluating a range of service providers to fulfill those capabilities.
“The path to commercial adoption of autonomous trucks involves quite a bit more than integrating the technology that allows vehicles to drive safely on their own,” said Karen Jones, CMO and head of new product innovation at Ryder. “Someone needs to inspect the vehicles to identify potential problems, provide maintenance support, service the autonomous hardware, and coordinate load handoffs, among other things. Through this partnership with Embark, we’re able to leverage nearly 90 years of Ryder’s operational expertise to support Embark’s growth plan.”
Earlier this week, Embark announced it was working with HP to pilot the use of electric trucks and autonomous long-haul trucking between the Phoenix and Los Angeles transfer points. Embark unveiled its go-to-market strategy in June 2021, and entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp to become a publicly traded company on Nasdaq (EMBK). The combination deal is expected to close in the second half of 2021.
For more details on the company and its technology, visit the Embark website here.
