At this year’s SXSW in Austin, Einride officially introduced the world’s first Remote Pod Operator for their freight trucks. The position will be filled by trucking veteran Tiffany Heathcott, and represents a real shift in the way humans participate in the increasing use of autonomous vehicles in the freight industry. Einride is a leading freight technology company based in Sweden that provides digital, electric and autonomous shipping. It was founded in 2016 and is the world’s first autonomous electric freight vehicle company. 

“When I came across the opportunity to partner with Einride in this new role, I saw that this was one of the biggest steps I could play a part in in creating a better and more sustainable future for the next generation and the planet.” – Tiffany Heathcott

Remote Pod Operators will observe and support an Einride Pod that is operating in automated drive mode to make sure they run optimally and safely, and will be able to provide operational support to multiple pods at a time through their Automated Driving Systems. This not only will increase efficiency, but is also safer, and offers operators more regular hours and hospitable work environments. 

This is exactly what Tiffany Heathcott demonstrated at SXSW: while the vehicle was driving around Dallas, Tiffany was operating and overseeing it in Austin, inside the conference halls. As for the functioning of the pod, it can drive at speeds up to 20km per hour, and has a 4 SAE rating – the highest level of automation. 

The pods’ design symbolises everything Einride stands for – minimalist, efficient, innovative and stylish all at once. The pods are also compatible with standard shipping containers and customisable to meet any industry standards, which is a big plus for the future of autonomous trucking. 

In order to become a Remote Pod Operator at Einride, operators go through a full trainee programme, which includes supervised training with the Einride Pod and Remote Pod Operation Station where operators are trained and tested on all the various operating modes and safety protocols. 

“We believe that going autonomous does not equate to losing the human element. We believe the opposite, that tech is stronger with the human element still in the loop and we are dedicated to creating a safer rollout of our autonomous and electric technology with this remote operation approach.” – Robert Falck, CEO and Founder at Einride

The team of Remote Operators has already expanded behind Heathcott and will continue to scale alongside growing autonomous operations Einride is providing customers both in the U.S. and in Sweden. Following the official U.S. expansion in November of 2021, Einride has opened up a regional office in Austin, with plans to officially establish a U.S. headquarters in New York. Regional offices in the Bay Area and Los Angeles will open later in 2022.

Pictures: Einride