• by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, January 29, 2020

UPS and Waymo are partnering to move self-driving package delivery along.

The companies agreed to pilot autonomous vehicle package pickup in the Metro Phoenix area using Waymo’s Chrysler Pacifica minivans.

The vehicles will drive autonomously with a Waymo-trained driver in the vehicle to monitor operations, according to the companies.

Packages will be shuttled from UPS stores in Phoenix to the UPS Tempe hub sorting facility for processing.

The pilot is scheduled to begin this quarter with the goal of jointly developing a long-term plan, according to Waymo.

“We’re confident this strategic partnership with UPS will help us deliver on our goal to improve customer service and network efficiency, and ultimately, make roads safer,” stated the Waymo announcement.

UPS Ventures, the venture capital arm of UPS, also completed a minority investment in Arrival, which makes electric vehicle platforms, with an agreement to purchase 10,000 electric vehicles to be built for UPS with the option to purchase more.

Autonomous driving technology is better suited for transporting things, instead of people.