AUSTIN, Texas — DHL Provide Chain has positioned a U.S. order for 100 vans outfitted with TuSimple‘s self-driving know-how and manufactured by Navistar to additional increase its understanding of driverless vans in its provide chain.

DHL, a subsidiary of Deutsche Submit AG, in a press release mentioned that whereas the partnership was at the moment in its toddler levels, it seemed ahead to deploying TuSimple’s driverless know-how throughout a number of areas outdoors the U.S. sooner or later.

The logistics supplier, which additionally has partnerships with different self-driving corporations, started engaged on a pilot program with California-based TuSimple earlier this month to move day by day hauls between Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.

These hauls are at the moment operated by TuSimple-owned vans retrofitted with the corporate’s self-driving know-how. The brand new vans, anticipated to be delivered to DHL between 2024 and 2025, can be owned by the logistics firm and outfitted with autonomous know-how from the beginning.

TuSimple will then present its self-driving providers to DHL on a subscription foundation as a part of the corporate’s long-term marketing strategy, TuSimple CEO Cheng Lu mentioned in an interview.

“Retrofitting a truck is easy not scalable,” Lu mentioned.

TuSimple final yr partnered with Illinois-based Navistar to co-develop self-driving vans focused for 2024 manufacturing. Navistar took a minority stake in TuSimple.

For DHL, autonomous truck deployment is at the moment restricted and a spokesman mentioned the corporate was vendor-agnostic, permitting it to accomplice with the optimum suppliers and applied sciences in numerous areas.

DHL in October submitted a reservation for 100 vans with TuSimple competitor Embark Vehicles Inc., and mentioned it’s going to submit additional reservations with a but unnamed third autonomous trucking supplier.

The DHL order brings TuSimple’s complete truck reservations to just about 6,900. The corporate already has a partnership with UPS and mentioned it goals to take away security drivers from its vans on an 80-mile check route between Tucson and Phoenix, Ariz. within the coming months.