If you've driven on a highway in Arizona in recent months, you may have shared the road with an automated truck without even realizing it.

Uber acquired self-driving startup Otto in 2016. Credit:AP

This week, Uber - the ride-hailing network rushing to control the future of automated driving - announced that the company has begun transporting freight using automated big rigs.

The robot-driven Volvo trucks, which include a human backup driver, have been limited to Arizona highways since they were rolled out in November, the company said. Uber has not revealed how many automated trucks they have on the road or whether they've been involved in any accidents. The company does not have a formal partnership with Volvo, but has instead retrofitted Volvo trucks with their technology.

"This a big step forward in self-driving truck technology, and the future of the freight industry at large," the company said in a statement.