In August, Kodiak Robotics joined IKEA Supply Chain Operations in piloting autonomous freight deliveries in Texas.

The partnership includes a Kodiak autonomous heavy-duty truck transporting IKEA products seven days a week between its distribution center in Baytown and its store in Frisco.

The main purpose 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, Kodiak officials said in a press release.

The autonomous truck has a professional safety truck driver behind the wheel who picks up a loaded trailer at the distribution center each morning and oversees the autonomous delivery to the store by late afternoon. 

"We are proud to be working with Kodiak to achieve our ambitious goals of being at the forefront of innovation and building capabilities for future transportation," says Dariusz Mroczek, category area transport manager of IKEA Supply Chain Operations. “Kodiak’s technology will contribute towards our objective to put the driver in focus in the transition towards automated transportation and towards our road safety agenda.”

Leveraging its built-for-scale solution, Kodiak has been rapidly and safely adding new lanes. These include commercial operations between Dallas and Oklahoma City and service between Dallas and Atlanta. Kodiak has been delivering freight daily between Dallas to Houston since mid-2019, and delivering freight between Dallas and San Antonio since mid-2021.