Maersk and Kodiak Robotics have partnered to launch the first commercial autonomous trucking lane between Houston and Oklahoma City.
This collaboration expands on their previous autonomous freight deliveries and is part of Maersk’s Global Innovation Center Program. Kodiak successfully delivered eight loads per week for Maersk customers since August, with a safety driver present.
“Teaming with Kodiak enables Maersk to stay at the forefront of innovative solutions,” said Erez Agmoni, Maersk’s global head of innovation, logistics, and services. “Autonomous trucks will play an instrumental role in digitizing the supply chain. We expect self-driving trucks to ultimately become a competitive advantage for Maersk as we execute on our strategy to provide customers with a sustainable, end-to-end logistics solution across air, land, and sea.”
Kodiak and Maersk are currently making four round trips per week, driving for the full 24-hour day. This partnership transports consumer products from a Houston facility, loading them onto 53-foot trailers and delivering them to an Oklahoma City distribution center.
Through the Kodiak Partner Deployment Program, valuable insights and knowledge are gathered and documented. This program is specifically designed to assist companies in understanding how Kodiak’s self-driving trucks can become a part of their logistics strategy.
“Since our founding, we have focused on developing an autonomous product that is easy for global innovation leaders to integrate into their networks, and Maersk is a perfect fit,” said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. “Hauling commercial freight gives us the opportunity to work together to integrate Kodiak’s autonomous trucking solution into Maersk’s operations. As the first autonomous trucking company to establish this new commercial lane between Houston and Oklahoma City, we are demonstrating our team’s ability to introduce new lanes and bring new efficiencies to the entire logistics industry.”
Source: The Trucker
Photo: Kodiak
