Volvo Autonomous TaaS Product to Be Known as Autona/freight
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Volvo Autonomous Solutions’ rollout of its transport-as-a-service offering ramped up a couple of notches in recent days.
The Volvo Group division’s president first put a name to the product seeking U.S. fleets as customers — Autona/freight.
In a presentation at the recent 2025 Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, Calif., Nils Jaeger on April 29 named the TaaS product offering and promised a rollout across the southern U.S.
VAS then rolled out an online reservation program on May 2.
A lane between Dallas and Houston is the starting point for the on-highway Autona/freight program. VAS also operates a TaaS product aimed at mining and quarrying companies.
(Volvo Autonomous Solutions)
Jaeger’s presentation was brief, but a VAS spokesman told Transport Topics on May 6: “This comprehensive solution not only includes the autonomous truck itself but also incorporates all the essential elements required for autonomous transport, such as uptime management, fleet management and operational support.”
“Customers purchasing Autona/freight are essentially buying capacity, providing them with an easier entry into autonomy without the need to navigate the associated complexities,” the spokesman added.
VAS’ on-highway team comprises 80 staff. Employees are based in Gothenburg, Sweden; Greensboro, N.C.; and Fort Worth, Texas. VAS has an operations center in Fort Worth.
Among the first customers is DHL Supply Chain. VAS’ factory-built VNL Autonomous Class 8 tractors hit the road for the first time as part of a commercial operation in December for the DHL Group unit.
DHL Supply Chain ranks No. 13 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the largest logistics companies in North America. DHL Group ranks No. 5 on the TT Top 50 list of the largest global freight companies.
Volvo VNL Autonomous trucks lined up. (Volvo Autonomous Solutions)
The first batch of 25 autonomous trucks being used — configurations of the redesigned Volvo Trucks North America flagship VNL semi launched in January — was built at VTNA’s New River Valley production plant in Dublin, Va.
VAS’ autonomous platform used for the VNLs manufactured in Virginia will be part of a redefined transportation ecosystem and the first step toward rolling out autonomous trucks across the Volvo Group portfolio, including Mack Trucks and Renault Trucks, Jaeger said during Volvo Group’s Capital Markets Day in Dublin on Nov. 14.
Volvo Autonomous Solutions President Nils Jaeger. (Volvo Group)
The Volvo VNL Autonomous truck was unveiled during a May 2024 news conference at that year’s ACT Expo in Las Vegas.
VAS is working with two self-driving software vendors: Waabi and Aurora Innovation.
The partnership with Waabi was announced in February.
Although the companies announced the partnership Feb. 4, engineering teams at Waabi and VAS worked together for two years to lay the foundations, CEO Raquel Urtasun said at the time.
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VAS’ autonomous technology platform is designed to accommodate different virtual drivers, use cases and Volvo truck brands, added Sasko Cuklev, VAS head of on-road solutions.
Volvo and Aurora began working together in 2018 on self-driving truck development and then announced a formal development partnership in March 2021, before debuting a prototype later that year.
In addition to working with VAS, Aurora is collaborating on autonomous trucks with Paccar Inc., parent company of Kenworth and Peterbilt.
Aurora on May 1 said regular driverless customer deliveries between Dallas and Houston began the same week as ACT took place, making it the first developer to operate a commercial self-driving service with a heavy-duty truck on public roads. Aurora plans to expand its driverless service to El Paso, Texas, and Phoenix by the end of 2025.
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Aurora’s launch customers are Uber Freight and Hirschbach Motor Lines. Aurora launch pictures indicate a Peterbilt 579 tractor was used for the deliveries.
VAS and Uber Freight inked a deal as far back as December 2022 to deploy the Volvo Group’s self-driving vehicles in the Uber Inc. unit’s marketplace.
Uber Freight ranks No. 14 on the logistics TT100. Dubuque, Iowa-based Hirschbach ranks No. 55 on TT Top 100 list of the largest for-hire carriers in North America.
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