Kodiak announces new self-driving logistics partners and big name trucking committee
In our recent sensor-fusion feature, Steven Spieczny of Kognic highlighted the successful expansion of Kodiak’s self-driving heavy goods vehicle (HGV) mileage in America.
While the recipient of our 2023 Award for Testing, Quresh Sutarwala, moved on to Applied Intuition, Kodiak has enjoyed an incredible 2024, announcing some major new corporate partnerships and launching the Kodiak Industry Advisory Council.
Intended to help guide Kodiak’s strategic roadmap and inform how autonomous trucks “will benefit the trucking industry, society, and the world”, the high-profile committee includes James Reed, VP of Transportation Development at Walmart; Chad Dittberner, SVP of Dry & Expedited at Werner Enterprises; Anne Ferro, former FMCSA Administrator and President of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators; William Kruger, VP of Fleet Maintenance and Engineering at UPS; Shannon Newton, President of the Arkansas Trucking Association; and Brett Suma, Founder and CEO of Loadsmith.
“We’re fortunate to have such an esteemed group of industry luminaries whose range of experience includes work with industry-leading shippers, carriers, safety advocates, and regulators,” said Council chair and Kodiak board member, James Reed. “Their unique perspectives will help to lead and shape the ways we approach industry and driver engagement, industry transformation, and driving public acceptance of autonomous trucks.”
Self-driving logistics
As to its new partners, in January, Kodiak established a new truckport at the Houston facility of leasing and fleet management specialist, Ryder. Described as an “ecosystem-first, capital-lite approach”, it will serve as a base for testing and validating autonomous freight operations between Dallas, Houston and Oklahoma City.
Further significant news followed the very next month. In February, Kodiak announced a landmark agreement with supply chain giant Martin Brower to autonomously deliver refrigerated freight for “two of the top five largest fast food chains in the United States”.
It includes eight time-critical deliveries per week between Dallas and Oklahoma City, with the two companies already exploring additional shuttle lane opportunities. “We chose Kodiak because we share a mutual commitment to safety and customer service,” said Mark Grittner, Director of Global Capital, Fleet and Facilities at MB.
“By working together, we are able to benefit from the safety, reliability and efficiency provided by Kodiak’s autonomous technology, while also ensuring our local drivers can continue to provide the best-in-class customer service that is foundational to Martin Brower’s reputation.”
Kodiak founder and CEO, Don Burnette, added: “Your next order of fries may well have travelled on a Kodiak truck! Autonomous trucks are well-suited to the difficult work of long-haul driving, while allowing our partners’ local drivers to handle last-mile deliveries and provide a personal touch for customers.
“Martin Brower’s shuttle lane model is an ideal application for Kodiak that enables us to demonstrate the value of our technology within our customers’ existing networks.”
As part of the partnership, MB has joined Kodiak’s Partner Deployment Program, designed to help carriers establish autonomous freight operations and integrate the Kodiak Driver self-driving system into their fleets.
