Tina Bellon

(Reuters) – Waymo Via (NASDAQ:) Inc’s self-driving trucking division, and Uber (NYSE.) Technology Inc’s Freight company, announced Tuesday that they have entered into a long-term strategic alliance which will allow future customers to use autonomous trucks in a more efficient manner.

Waymo and Uber Freight did not provide a timeframe for their collaboration. They also declined to reveal financial details.

Future Waymo customers will be able to use Uber Freight in order to plan more effectively their trucking fleets.

Uber Freight software connects truckers to shippers and reduces shipping costs. It also helps with empty cargo miles. Uber purchased Transplace Logistics, a logistics company worth $2.25 billion last year.

As technology companies compete to sell their products, this partnership represents the latest in an ongoing series of partnerships in autonomous trucking.

Waymo Inc. TuSimple Holdings Inc. Aurora Innovation Inc. are among the companies that plan to sell self-driving service to logistic firms and big retailers over the next few years. These business models would allow customers to purchase the trucks themselves and pay the tech companies a per mile usage fee.

Uber, which owns a self-driving car unit and sold it to Waymo-competitor Aurora in 2020, now has a 43% share of the company. Aurora stated in December that it has partnered up with Uber Freight.

Waymo stated that it will launch the first driverless truck in the near future, starting with the Texas I-45 connecting Houston and Dallas.