UPS and Waymo partner on self-driving parcel pickup

UPS and Waymo, a self-driving vehicle company, are launching a parcel transportation pilot, according to an announcement Wednesday. Waymo's autonomous Chrysler Pacifica minivans will pick up packages from UPS stores in the Phoenix metro area and deliver them to nearby UPS sorting facilities in Tempe, Arizona for processing. A Waymo-trained driver will be present in the vehicles at all times. The pilot will assist with "getting packages to our sortation facilities sooner and more frequently, while also creating an opportunity for later drop-offs for next-day service," Scott Price, UPS chief strategy and transformation officer, said in a statement. The two companies plan to use the pilot to determine ways they can incorporate autonomous vehicles at scale and potentially work together long-term.