Ikea and Kodiak to launch driverless freight service in Texas

Ikea and Kodiak are preparing to launch a fully driverless long-haul freight service in Texas later this year. The service will utilize Kodiak’s autonomous driving technology to transport goods along a route connecting the Ikea distribution center in Baytown to the retail store in Frisco.

The highway portion of the delivery route covers approximately 220 miles, primarily along Interstate 45. This transition to driverless operations follows a four-year testing period where safety drivers remained behind the wheel. During these trials, Kodiak reported hauling more than 1,300 Ikea loads and logging over 750,000 autonomous miles without incident and maintaining a “nearly perfect” on-time delivery record.

While the service aims to operate without a safety driver, final testing and safety demonstrations are still being conducted to ensure the autonomous system can operate securely within its designated deployment area.