Waymo Tests Self-Driving Truck

Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo unit is expanding its autonomous vehicle development program to commercial trucks.

Waymo, which had operated as Google’s self-driving car project before being renamed last December, has been developing automated vehicle systems since 2009. The company says it is conducting a “technical exploration” on how to apply the software and hardware from its self-driving car test fleet to improve truck safety and efficiency.

Waymo currently is testing one unspecified truck with the technology. Humans are controlling the vehicles during initial testing to collect data, according to media reports.

Commercial trucks stand to benefit from driver-assist technologies even more than passenger cars and trucks. That's because they are involved in a greater proportion of accidents and fatalities, due in part to driver fatigue. Waymo says automated driving systems can help reduce thousands of trucking-related deaths each year in the U.S.

Rival Uber Technologies Inc. is developing automated-driving systems for heavy-duty trucks through its acquisition last August of Otto, a San Francisco-based startup. Otto developed a retrofit kit for trucks that provides automated braking, steering and throttle functions for trucks.

Otto was co-founded in early 2016 by former Google employee Anthony Levandowski, who joined Uber after last year’s acquisition to head the ride-share company’s self-driving car program. Uber fired Levandowski earlier this week over charges that he stole 14,000 secret documents related to self-driving cars from Google/Waymo last year.