© tusimple
The company announced that its venture capital arm had made a minority investment in San Diego-based autonomous software company TuSimple, as confirmed with the company by Gizmodo. Their system uses nine cameras and two LIDAR sensors.
TuSimple claims it can cut the average cost of shipping in a tractor-trailer by 30 percent. In an announcement about the new partnership, UPS Ventures managing partner, Todd Lewis, said the venture arm "collaborates with startups to explore new technologies and tailor them to help meet our specific needs." -Gizmodo
And according to Verge, TuSimple has implemented its autonomous technology in Navistar vehicles.
While the current system requires a backup human driver and an engineer, TuSimple has been working with UPS to achieve full, "Level 4" human-less autonomy.
UPS OPENLY said two years ago that it was testing this technology.
This is a quote from Trucks.com July 11, 2016: "Britt has UPS treading the cutting edge of green and autonomous technology, adding 7,000 alternative fuel and advanced technology trucks to its global fleet; experimenting with autonomous trucking;"
And this from Manufacturing.net November 30, 2016: "The new chief of UPS's technology efforts said that the parcel giant is evaluating how autonomous trucks could complement its current delivery operations. Chief Information Officer Juan Perez told The Wall Street Journal in a recent interview that autonomous systems capable of navigating traffic hazards and inclement weather could improve safety on UPS's delivery routes. His vision, Perez told the Journal , is ultimately "autonomous everything."