Kodiak Robotics started a program with IKEA involving autonomous freight deliveries in Texas, the self-driving trucking company has announced.
The cooperation, which began on August 8, 2022, includes a Kodiak autonomous heavy-duty truck transporting IKEA products seven days a week between the IKEA distribution center in Baytown and the IKEA store close to Dallas, roughly 300 miles away.
The trucks have human safety drivers on board, but they’re being driven by the autonomous-driving system.
Kodiak’s CEO and founder Don Burnette, said that both companies share a commitment to putting safety first.
“Adopting autonomous trucking technology can improve drivers’ quality of life by focusing on the local driving jobs most prefer to do,” Burnette said. “Together we can enhance safety, improve working conditions for drivers, and create a more sustainable freight transportation system.”
Kodiak has been running freight in Texas with its autonomous test trucks since 2019, and recently opened a new route between Dallas and Oklahoma City.
Autonomous trucks are also more fuel-efficient as indicated by a study from the University of California San Diego which estimated that self-driving trucks consume roughly 10% less fuel than traditional manually driven trucks on diesel-fueled fleets.
IKEA supply chain operations manager Dariusz Mroczek, said Kodiak’s technology will contribute towards the company’s transition towards automated transportation and road safety agenda.
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