Parallel Systems Is Building the Internet of Freight

Matt Soule, Founder and CEO of Parallel Systems, joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Parallel Systems is building the internet of freight by combing autonomy and rail.

To date the company has raised nearly $100 million and secured Federal Railroad Administration clearance to test its autonomous rail vehicles on 160 miles of track in Georgia. Parallel’s technology integrates directly into back-office railroad dispatch networks, operating like air traffic control so vehicles respect unique track authority and never conflict with traditional freight trains.

By replacing mechanical couplers with software-managed bumpers, platoons of up to 50 vehicles form and break apart on the move, splitting off to separate destinations or peeling away to keep grade crossings open. Today, Parallel is now ramping production of its commercial Gen 3 vehicle, which advances past the Gen 2 prototype by hauling up to 160,000 pounds at speeds over 60 mph on an innovative, low-cost bent steel chassis. T

The electric propulsion system is built to revitalize unprofitable short-haul routes under 500 miles by lowering the lane density a railroad needs to justify service. Shifting heavy freight to rail gives shippers pricing stability against volatile diesel spikes, delivers granular tracking visibility, and creates a new ecosystem of local maintenance and remote supervisory jobs while decongesting highway traffic around major ports.

To address a growing 300-vehicle backlog, Parallel is expanding manufacturing to a contract facility in Michigan while eyeing international expansion.

Episode Chapters

• 00:00 Parallel Systems Raises $100m
• 2:33 Autonomous Rail
• 5:14 Reviving the Inland Ports, Jobs, and Manufacturing
• 10:37 Diesel Volatility
• 12:31 Gen 3 Vehicle
• 17:08 Why Rail
• 21:54 Commercial Operations
• 25:57 The Internet of Freight
• 31:54 What’s Next
• 35:28 AUTNMY AI