Embark Launches Nine Sites for Pilot Operations

Embark truck in Jacksonville, Fla.
Embark's truck arrives at its Jacksonville, Fla., destination after completing its first coast-to-coast run that started in Los Angeles in 2018. (Embark)

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Embark Trucks Inc. announced the launch of the nine-site, coast-to-coast backbone of the Embark coverage map, preparing key Sun Belt markets to be served by fleet partners.

“We expect to commercially deploy our technology beginning in 2024,” a company spokesman told Transport Topics. “These sites have been acquired and are ready for pilot operations. These initial sites were strategically selected for the initial launch, and we plan to continue adding additional sites as we scale our operations and expand the Embark coverage map.”

The map includes nine transfer point sites in cities across the Sun Belt, including new locations in Dallas; El Paso, Texas; Atlanta, and Jacksonville, Fla., to accommodate planned autonomous freight volume in key markets and provide anticipated operational support for carriers and shippers using Embark-powered trucks, the San Francisco-based company reported.



Embark secured optimized real estate sites and support services through its partnerships with Alterra Property Group and Ryder System Inc. for service and inspections.

By operating autonomously across the network, Embark noted its carrier partners should be able to deliver faster than is currently possible compared with traditional freight deliveries, due to its 24/7 operations — 41% of U.S. shipment miles in the expanded coverage map are on lanes that are longer than drivers can complete in a single shift due to hours-of-service regulations.

We are delivering on one of our key 2022 objectives by activating these key markets.

Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues

Alex Rodrigues

"Our carrier partners have a meaningful portion of their loads concentrated on a select set of lanes between major markets in the Sun Belt,” Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues said in a release. “We are delivering on one of our key 2022 objectives by activating these key markets as one cohesive network today, giving carrier partners the line of sight they need to plan their deployment of Embark-equipped trucks, improving the ecosystem’s ability to rapidly scale in 2024.”

Embark’s first Los Angeles-to-Jacksonville run came in 2018.

Parent company Embark Technology Inc. (Nasdaq: EMBK) builds software to power autonomous trucks.

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