Kodiak Robotics is collaborating with Werner to establish a 24/7 long-haul autonomous freight operation. The operation will showcase how efficiently autonomous trucks can be used with a transfer hub model operating from truck-ports.

The relationship between Kodiak and Werner began in August this year with a week-long pilot in which a Kodiak truck, accompanied by a human safety driver at all times, completed four tours involving eight trips between Dallas and Lake City, Florida.

During its pilot with Werner, Kodiak completed a total of 152 hours of driving time and achieved 100 percent on-time delivery performance. Werner had trailers ready for a Kodiak self-driving truck to pick up on both ends of the trip. Werner’s local drivers completed the first-mile pick-ups and last-mile deliveries. This truck-port model maximises the amount of time the Kodiak Driver spends driving.

Werner Enterprises has also joined Kodiak’s Partner Deployment Programme, which helps carriers establish autonomous freight operations and integrate the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak’s self-driving system, into their fleet.

“Working with Kodiak enables us to efficiently incorporate new technologies into our business while giving us a competitive edge,” said Werner’s Senior Vice President of Van/Expedited Chad Dittberner. “We’re eager to establish the hybrid model of drivers and ongoing autonomous lanes to create new and unparalleled levels of efficiency while staying focused on Werner’s value of putting safety first.”

“Werner’s vision for incorporating autonomous trucks into their future operations demonstrates a fundamental understanding of where autonomous technology fits within the trucking industry,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak. “The Kodiak Driver is designed to do the often-undesirable highway portions of long-haul routes, allowing drivers to handle the deliveries that let them sleep in their own beds at night. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Werner and introducing new permanent lanes together.”

Earlier this year, Kodiak announced partnerships with US Xpress, 10 Roads Express and CEVA Logistics.