Third-party logistics (3PL) provider CEVA Logistics has partnered with self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics to deliver freight autonomously between cities in Texas and Oklahoma.
CEVA delivered its first load with Kodiak in November 2021 and is moving goods weekly along a 200-mile freight lane between Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin, Texas. The companies expanded the partnership in February 2022 to include a new 200-mile route between Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, marking the first time that freight has been delivered autonomously in the state of Oklahoma. On both routes, a Kodiak autonomous tractor is used to haul a CEVA trailer filled with consumer products.
The two routes are the first steps in achieving the long-term goal of integrating Kodiak’s technology into CEVA’s North American fleet, which currently has close to 2,500 drivers.
The Kodiak Driver self-driving technology has been purpose-built for long-haul trucks and incorporates Luminar’s Iris lidar, ZF Full-Range Radar, Hesai 360° scanning lidars, as well as a range of cameras. These sensors allow the truck to ‘see’ long-range and all around the vehicle in a wide variety of weather conditions.
Shawn Stewart, president and managing director, North America, CEVA Logistics, said, “CEVA is committed to working alongside leading automation and robotics suppliers – like Kodiak with its proven autonomy technologies – to unlock value for our customers’ supply chain operations. At CEVA, we define innovation as the implementation of new ideas with business impact, and our partnership with Kodiak will deliver more business value to our customers, especially in light of the current supply chain crisis and the ongoing driver shortage.”
Outside of its partnership with CEVA, Kodiak Robotics has been delivering freight daily between Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston since mid-2019. The company has also been delivering freight weekly between Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio since mid-2021.
Don Burnette, founder and CEO, Kodiak, said, “CEVA is at the forefront of global logistics innovation and has recognized early on that the trucking industry will see the first widespread adoption of self-driving technology. Kodiak and CEVA are focused on serving Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and Oklahoma City, because they cover some of the richest freight corridors in the US. As Americans grapple with pandemic-related supply-chain issues and the long-term truck driver shortage, CEVA is leading the industry in adopting new technology that will benefit its customers.”