Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS), a Volvo Group company, will offer a new hub-to-hub autonomous transport solution, designed to serve four main customer segments: shippers; carriers; logistics service providers; and freight brokers. Each solution will be configured to suit the business needs of the specific segments while addressing the growing demand for goods movement in North America.

VAS also announced that it will partner with global logistics provider DHL Supply Chain as its first customer to pilot the hub-to-hub solution, representing Volvo’s goal to develop a business model with customers that will address all the steps required to bring its autonomous solutions to market with a safe, sustainable approach.  

VAS, in collaboration with Aurora (earlier post), has been working on a technical solution to offer autonomous trucks in the US, while also developing a complete Transport-as-a-Service (TaaS) solution for integrated and scalable autonomous freight capacity for highway applications. The Autonomous Transport Solution will be configured to different customer-segment requirements to transport freight autonomously on major US highway networks. 

Today, the increasing demand for freight is outgrowing capacity and solutions must be bolder, safer, smarter and more sustainable to move the world forward. This is more than an autonomous truck—it is the Autonomous Transport Solution, which we believe will create value for the entire transportation ecosystem, all with optimized operations that reduce emissions and increase safety.

—Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions

For the company, this is the first step in positioning a dedicated North American operation that is rooted in global experience with autonomous technology applications.

DHL and the Volvo Group have a long history of working together, and this new collaboration will help pave the way for VAS’ logistics service providers customer segment. The future deployment of the Class 8 Volvo VNL autonomous trucks will be DHL’s first TaaS operation globally. As a diversified logistics service provider and carrier with a holistic view of global supply chains, DHL represents an ideal early adopter of autonomous truck technology.

DHL is excited to partner with a leading-edge transportation company in Volvo Autonomous Solutions. We are full-speed-ahead on the adoption of the next wave of transportation solutions including autonomous trucks and confident that global leaders like Volvo will help to accelerate their development. We see huge potential in advanced technology solutions like autonomous trucks to address the needs of our customers around efficiency, reliability and increased capacity, which only hastened during the pandemic.

—Jim Monkmeyer, President, Transportation, DHL Supply Chain North America

VAS is working across all four customer segments to finalize strategic partnerships with key customers—segment leaders who will pilot the Autonomous Transport Solution. These partnerships will allow VAS to understand the needs of each specific segment in real-world applications and develop and adapt the offerings based on inputs and findings experienced across the entire transportation network.  

VAS will be the single point of contact for Autonomous Transport Solution customers, with the goal to be the reliable partner to make their transition a success.