• by Chuck Martin , March 7, 2018

Uber now has self-driving trucks on the road in Arizona.

The Volvo big rigs are hauling loads across the state and are autonomously driven, though a driver still sits at the wheel.

"The big step for us recently is that we can plan to haul goods in both directions, using Uber Freight to coordinate load pickups and drop-offs with local truckers," Alden Woodrow, who leads Uber's self-driving truck effort, told “USA Today.”  "Keeping trucking local allows these drivers to make money while staying closer to home."

A video posted by Uber this week shows a truck driver picking up a load of freight and driving a short haul to transfer in Topock, Arizona, where the truck is greeted by one of Uber’s self-driving trucks. The self-driving truck is on a long haul from the Midwest.

The two trucks arrive at the same time and they transfer loads. Then the self-driving truck heads east for another long haul, with the other truck taking its new load west back to Los Angeles.