Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ: AUR), and Uber Freight have announced the expansion of their autonomous pilot with a new commercial lane between Fort Worth and El Paso. The 600-mile lane across Texas was launched in October and is supporting Uber Freight customers as they prepare for the 2022 holiday season.

During the holidays, approximately one billion packages will be shipped within the U.S. alone. To help Uber Freight customers meet demand, Aurora’s autonomous trucking service is making weekly hauls of consumer and wholesale goods across the state with its latest generation of trucks.

Aurora’s autonomous technology is being developed to offer carriers a reliable supply of autonomous “drivers.” Autonomous trucks can also help alleviate what is often considered one of the least safe times to travel each year according to a report from the National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration, allowing human drivers to opt for short-haul trips and stay closer to home.

Sterling Anderson, Chief Product Officer and Co-Founder of Aurora stated: “The holidays are a challenging time for the logistics industry. We’re crafting Aurora Horizon to help carriers of all sizes alleviate some of the supply chain pressures that typically accompany them.”

Aurora Innovation is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before.

Shares of Aurora Innovation trade on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol AUR.