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Uber Retires Otto Brand Name

The retirement of the Otto brand name comes on the heels of a tough year for the autonomous truck company. Photo: Otto

Uber has quietly put the Otto brand name out to pasture, according to published reports out of San Francisco. As Forbes reports, “Uber consolidated Otto's activities under its Advanced Technologies Group, or Uber ATG, in April and ‘retired the Otto name.'” Uber has had no further comment on the move since, although the Forbes article does note that “the change came shortly after the dismissal of a trademark infringement suit brought by Kitchener, Ontario-based Otto Motors, a unit of Clearpath Robotics that makes autonomous vehicles for warehouses and industrial facilities.”

There is no word yet from Uber on what the company will rename its autonomous truck technology business. In a written statement to Forbes, Otto Motors spokesperson Meghan Hennessey said, “We are continuing to operate under the Otto brand, whereas Uber has recently announced on its website that it is retiring the Otto name.”

The report comes amidst a tough year for Uber's autonomous vehicle development. Uber acquired Otto last summer, only to have another autonomous technology company, Google's Waymo business division, file suit against it in February of this year. The lawsuit accused Otto co-founder and former Waymo employee, Anthony Levandowski, of stealing tech secrets and colluding with Uber to have that company acquire Otto once the company was up and running.

When Uber launched its much-anticipated Uber Freight brokerage app last week, some observers were surprised that it had nothing to do with autonomous trucks. While there's much speculation that Uber Freight and the company's autonomous truck division will eventually synchronize operations and offerings, the company is downplaying such talk, for now, telling HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge, “I can say Uber's mission is to make transportation reliable, seamless ...Read the rest of this story

Uber Retires Otto Brand Name

The retirement of the Otto brand name comes on the heels of a tough year for the autonomous truck company.

Photo: Otto

Uber has quietly put the Otto brand name out to pasture, according to published reports out of San Francisco. As Forbes reports, “Uber consolidated Otto's activities under its Advanced Technologies Group, or Uber ATG, in April and ‘retired the Otto name.'” Uber has had no further comment on the move since, although the Forbes article does note that “the change came shortly after the dismissal of a trademark infringement suit brought by Kitchener, Ontario-based Otto Motors, a unit of Clearpath Robotics that makes autonomous vehicles for warehouses and industrial facilities.”

There is no word yet from Uber on what the company will rename its autonomous truck technology business. In a written statement to Forbes, Otto Motors spokesperson Meghan Hennessey said, “We are continuing to operate under the Otto brand, whereas Uber has recently announced on its website that it is retiring the Otto name.”

The report comes amidst a tough year for Uber's autonomous vehicle development. Uber acquired Otto last summer, only to have another autonomous technology company, Google's Waymo business division, file suit against it in February of this year. The lawsuit accused Otto co-founder and former Waymo employee, Anthony Levandowski, of stealing tech secrets and colluding with Uber to have that company acquire Otto once the company was up and running.

When Uber launched its much-anticipated Uber Freight brokerage app last week, some observers were surprised that it had nothing to do with autonomous trucks. While there's much speculation that Uber Freight and the company's autonomous truck division will eventually synchronize operations and offerings, the company is downplaying such talk for now, telling HDT Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge, “I can say Uber's mission is to make transportation reliable, seamless and ...Read the rest of this story

Temporary fix to avoid ACI penalties

Mack Honors Fallen Military Members at Ride for Freedom Rally

Photo: Mack Trucks

Mack Trucks employees will participate in the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom Rally during Memorial Day weekend to pay tribute to America's fallen military members.

This year, Mack's Ride for Freedom truck is a custom-built crew cab called Jack Mack, named after John “Jack” M. Mack, one of the founders of Mack Trucks.

The 30th annual rally takes place in Washington D.C., and Mack Lehigh Valley Operations and Mack Customer Center employees will travel from Pennsylvania by truck and motorcycle to Hagerstown, Maryland for a special memorial ceremony at Mack's Powertrain Facility.

Hagerstown employees will then join their colleagues following the ceremony as they continue to the nation's capital for the Ride for Freedom event.

The Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom Rally was started in 1987 by Artie Muller and Ray Manzo, two Vietnam veterans. Many participants are veterans and many ride motorcycles as a demonstration to honor the country's fallen military members and those captured or missing in action.

For more information on the rally, click here.

Related: House Bills Seek to Ease Veterans' Path into Trucking

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