Automated Truck Testing 300 Mile Delivery

A pilot program in Texas tested the Kodiak Robotics automatic drivingtruckscapacity to transport IKEA products from the distribution center in Baytown to the store in Frisco, a distance of approximately 300 miles. The pilot program will operate seven days a week.

The self-driving truck is driven by a professional safety truck driver who picks up a fully loaded trailer at the distribution center each morning and oversees automated deliveries to stores in the late afternoon.

Kodiak said the main goal of the test is to better understand how its self-driving technology can help improve road safety and provide better working conditions for long-haul truckers.

“IKEA and Kodiak share a commitment to putting safety first,” Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette said in a prepared statement. “Together, we can increase safety, improve working conditions for drivers and create a more sustainable freight transportation system.”

IKEAsupply chainsDariusz Mroczek, category regional transportation manager for operations, said in a statement:

“Kodiak's technology will help achieve our goal of putting the driver at the center of the transition to an automated transportation and road safety agenda.”