Under a new partnership between TuSimple and Ryder System, select Ryder fleet maintenance facilities will serve as terminals in TuSimple’s nationwide autonomous freight network in the U.S.

TuSimple and Ryder announced the companies will work together to identify existing Ryder facilities to serve as the start and end point for autonomous driving missions.

These facilities can have multiple heavy-duty trucks and trailers come and go 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. By adding more terminals to TuSimple's autonomous network, shippers and fleets will have greater access to autonomous freight operations, TuSimple officials said in a press release.

By leveraging Ryder's existing freight trucking terminals, TuSimple can quickly scale across the country without needing to build new facilities, company officials said.

TuSimple's fleet of more than 50 autonomous trucks (SAE L4) transport freight for customers across the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Later this year, TuSimple expects to expand operations to the East Coast, carrying freight between Phoenix, Arizona, and Orlando, Florida.

"The trucking industry is on the verge of a massive disruption, and we're seeing strong demand for access to reliable autonomous capacity from shippers, carriers, and fleets," said Cheng Lu, president and CEO at TuSimple. "The partnership with Ryder will enable us to grow our operational footprint to continue to meet these needs and set the pace for industry adoption."

Initially, the partnership will focus on Ryder's facilities in the Southern U.S. However, with Ryder's nationwide network of more than 500 maintenance facilities, the partnership has the potential to rapidly scale, company officials said.

"With this partnership we believe Ryder is positioned to become a leader in the servicing of autonomous trucks," said Karen Jones, Ryder’s executive vice president, chief marketing officer, and head of new product innovation. "Ryder is focused on how to best leverage our vast location footprint, maintenance operations, and visibility tools to lead in the future world of autonomy. Partnering with TuSimple will help bring autonomous operations to market more quickly, while also providing Ryder access to new and emerging revenue streams."