Kodiak and IKEA to launch driverless freight operations in Texas

Kodiak Robotics and IKEA Supply are preparing to launch fully driverless freight operations in Texas later this year, building on a four-year autonomous trucking partnership between the companies.

IKEA will become Kodiak’s launch customer for driverless freight operations, with trucks operating without a human safety driver in the cab.

The companies have spent the past four years testing autonomous freight operations in Texas. During that period, Kodiak says it has transported more than 1,300 loads of IKEA goods and accumulated more than 750,000 autonomous miles with a safety observer aboard.

The initial driverless service will cover a 219-mile section primarily along Interstate 45 between Kodiak facilities in the Houston and Dallas areas.

The driverless leg forms part of an established 292-mile freight route connecting IKEA’s distribution center in Baytown with its store in Frisco.

Kodiak says the companies have used their existing operations to develop procedures covering vehicle dispatch, arrival scheduling, loading and unloading, predictive maintenance and fleet management.

The company is now completing its highway safety case for driverless long-haul operations. The safety case is intended to provide evidence that the Kodiak Driver autonomous driving system can operate without a person aboard within a defined operating area.

The launch represents a significant step for a partnership that has so far operated with safety personnel inside the trucks.

Kodiak says focusing autonomous technology on long-haul highway routes could also allow human drivers to concentrate on local driving jobs while reducing the need for drivers to spend extended periods away from home.

The company says the forthcoming deployment is intended to become the foundation for wider driverless freight operations rather than a one-off demonstration.

Kodiak writes: “This is not a one-off endeavor. Our work scaling driverless technology throughout freight transportation will continue with IKEA and others after this upcoming launch. Mile by mile, we intend to build trust and gain traction until driver-out service is a routine and everyday part of the long-haul trucking landscape.”

Kodiak was founded more than eight years ago and has been developing its autonomous driving system for long-haul trucking and other commercial vehicle applications. The company says its work with IKEA has helped it move from autonomous vehicle testing toward an operational driverless freight service.