Self-driving truck routes start in Baytown, end at Frisco IKEA
NORTH TEXAS (CBSNewsTexas) - Self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics has linked up with IKEA to start autonomous freight deliveries going from Baytown to Frisco.
The cooperation, which began on Aug. 8, includes a Kodiak autonomous heavy-duty truck transporting products seven days a week between the IKEA Distribution Center in Baytown and the IKEA Store in Frisco.
But there's still a human aspect to the delivery system.
The self-driving trucks by Kodiak include drivers behind the wheel who load the trailers in the mornings and oversee the delivery to the store by the afternoon.
The main purpose of the program, according to the startup, is to get a better understanding of how Kodiak's autonomous driving technology contributes to increased road safety and better working conditions for truck drivers on the longer distances.
"IKEA and Kodiak share a commitment to putting safety first," said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak Robotics. "Together we can enhance safety, improve working conditions for drivers, and create a more sustainable freight transportation system. Adopting autonomous trucking technology can improve drivers' quality of life by focusing on the local driving jobs most prefer to do."
Kodiak started delivering freight daily between Dallas to Houston in mid-2019, and delivering freight between Dallas and San Antonio since 2021.
In March 2022, Kodiak teamed up with CEVA Logistics to deliver freight autonomously between Dallas Fort-Worth and Austin; and Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City.