Wilson Logistics to Deploy Locomation’s Autonomous Trucking Solution
March 10, 2022
Pittsburgh-based Locomation, which develops autonomous trucking technology, has announced that Wilson Logistics has recommitted to deploy 1,120 Autonomous Relay Convoy (ARC) units for its flagship fleet in the mid and south-central U.S.
The original plan, announced in March 2020, was for the 1,120 ARC units to be deployed in Wilson’s West Coast trucking operation, but that operation and its assets were sold late last year to Ashley Pacific Northwest. With that divestiture complete, Wilson said it will deploy its autonomous truck service in the midwest from its Springfield, Mo., and Dallas-Fort Worth hubs. The two companies have been engineering six freight lanes, valued at $524 million in annual revenue and an estimated $112 million in operating profit, for the high rates of asset utilization and operational efficiency expected from the Locomation autonomous trucking system.
The ARC system is a human-led convoy of two trucks that are electronically tethered. This human-guided autonomy solution enables one driver to operate the lead truck, while a second driver rests in the follower truck, allowing carriers to safely operate two trucks for 20 to 22 hours per day, all while remaining in compliance with U.S. Department of Transportation hours-of-service regulations. Locomotion enables carriers to deliver twice the cargo, twice the distance and twice the speed, while reducing the per-truck GHG Footprint by up to 22%, according to a recently completed independent and peer-reviewed study.
“SInce choosing Locomation we have studied these lanes and everything that goes into producing a high-utilization, reduced-GHG emissions autonomous trucking operation for the shippers we serve,” said Darrel Wilson, founder and CEO of Wilson Logistics. “Locomation’s Autonomous Relay Network, analytics, systems and algorithms give us an exceptional understanding of where the margins are and how to best harvest them moving forward. We knew from the start that this was a relationship we wanted to go deeper and further with.”
“We are thrilled to continue and deepen our partnership with Wilson,” added Çetin Meriçli, the co-founder and CEO of Locmation. “Locomation has built its route planning and autonomous truck technology to leverage the value of long-established trucking routes and systems, and Wilson Logistics is poised to become a leader in the race to implement a supply chain custom built for autonomous trucks.”
For more details on Locomation, visit its website here.
