• Embark Trucks (Embark), an autonomous truck manufacturer, has partnered with Knight-Swift Transportation, a freight transportation company, to launch an initiative dubbed “Truck Transfer Program,” giving the Knight-Swift staff direct access to Embark’s autonomous driving technology. This reportedly marks the first time a Level 4 autonomous truck (i.e., fully autonomous vehicles limited to specific locations or conditions) has been operated by a freight transportation company directly in the US.

• As per the deal, Embark will supply an undisclosed number of trucks (equipped with its autonomous system) and transfer the ownership to Knight-Swift. The latter would be responsible for maintenance and operations of the trucks using their own safety drivers.

• The company plans to deliver the first batch of trucks by the end of the year. The vehicles will be deployed on routes between Texas and Arizona along the Sun Belt.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: So far, Embark and other autonomous truck developers including TuSimple, Aurora Innovation, and Google’s Waymo have conducted tests under a model where they own, maintain, and operate the trucks using their own safety drivers. However, this news indicates a shift toward the model these tech companies envision for the long run, where carriers and shippers own the trucks while paying a per-mile fee for the self-driving software.</ul>