Dive Brief:
- Kodiak Robotics will equip self-driving technology to 800 trucks as part of an order for Denver-based logistics startup Loadsmith, the companies announced Thursday.
- Loadsmith is obtaining the trucks from a dealer and will use the self-driving vehicles to transport goods on interstate portions of highway routes. They’ll pass on deliveries to local drivers at hubs.
- “This model will allow shippers to seamlessly leverage autonomous trucks for the long-haul lanes that are less desirable to many drivers,” the companies said in a news release. Kodiak will begin delivering the self-driving trucks in the second half of 2025.
Dive Insight:
The self-driving Kodiak vehicles will serve as the basis for Loadsmith’s freight network — part of a “profound technological transformation” in freight transportation, according to CEO and Founder Brett Suma.
The third-party logistics platform, founded in 2019, is built specifically for self-driving trucks.
Loadsmith has placed a deposit for the trucks, Kodiak Co-Founder and CEO Don Burnette said in an email, but he did not share financial details of the agreement.
The deal with Loadsmith marks the first time Kodiak has announced a partner purchasing a specific number of trucks equipped with its self-driving technology, Burnette told Transport Dive.
Kodiak previously announced partnerships with several companies, including C.R. England, Tyson Foods, Ikea, Werner Enterprises, Forward Air, U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Ceva Logistics and 10 Roads Express.
As tech companies such as Aurora Innovation aim for self-driving operations in 2024, autonomous businesses could face difficulty in California, where a bill could require safety operators onboard until a series of legislative reviews and approvals take place.
This agreement is also not the first one Loadsmith has placed with a self-driving tech company. Last year, the startup announced a partnership with TuSimple Holdings that included a 350-unit reservation.
