Volvo Autonomous Solutions has expanded its footprint in North America with the establishment of an office in Texas.

The office, in Fort Worth, Texas, is dedicated to driving activities to set up its first autonomous freight corridors that will run from Dallas Forth Worth to El Paso and from Dallas to Houston.

To prepare for commercial launch, V.A.S. has also started to haul loads with trucks using drivers for key customers like DHL and Uber Freight to test aspects of the transport solution and establish frameworks and procedures for safe and reliable operations.

“At Volvo Autonomous Solutions we believe the path to autonomy at scale is through reducing the friction and complications around ownership and operations for customers,” said Nils Jaeger, president of Volvo Autonomous Solutions.

“This is why we have taken the decision to be the single interface to our customers and take full ownership of the elements required for commercial autonomous transport.

“With the opening of our office in Texas and start of operational activities, we are building the foundations for a transport solution that will change the way we move goods on highways,” he said.

Sasko Cuklev, head of on-road solutions, added: “Through our Autonomous Transport Solution, our ambition is to create a new source of industry capacity that will ease some of the burden of the increasing demand for freight while also enabling local drivers to shift into short-haul jobs that will keep them closer to home.

“This will unlock significant efficiencies in the entire supply chain and benefit everyone in the transportation industry.”