°®¶¹´«Ã½

Autonomous vehicle pioneer Anthony Levandowski has formed a new software company called Pronto. Its first aftermarket product, Copilot, provides camera-based self-driving technology for the Class 8 market.

Although Uber Technologies Inc. recently halted its self-driving truck program, the ride-hailing pioneer is doubling down on its Uber Freight load-matching business and announced that Otto co-founder and former Uber executive Lior Ron will rejoin the company to run that unit.

With the recent departure of Don Burnette, all four co-founders of driverless-trucking company Otto have left Uber Technologies Inc., about 18 months after Uber’s purchase of the startup.

Waymo was dealt a fresh setback in its fight with Uber Technologies Inc. with a series of unfavorable rulings ahead of a high-stakes trial next month over driverless technology.

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber Technologies Inc.'s drive to become a major player in the trucking business is off to a bumpy start, with analysts and industry executives questioning what exactly the company can bring to the sprawling $700-billion industry.

Uber Technologies Inc. has an alibi for Alphabet Inc.’s allegations of trade-secrets theft — the ride-hailing company’s driverless car technology is completely different from its rival’s designs.

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber wants an explosive patent infringement lawsuit that could be worth millions sent to binding arbitration rather than open court.

It took Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo seven years to design and build a laser-scanning system to guide its self-driving cars. Uber Technologies Inc. allegedly did it in nine months. Waymo claims in a lawsuit filed Feb. 23 that was possible because an ex-employee, Anthony Levandowski, co-founder of Uber-owned Otto, stole the designs and technology and started a new company.

Attracting and retaining younger drivers could hold the key to solving the trucking industry’s persistent struggle with turnover, but that’s much easier said than done, fleets are finding.