Kodiak Robotics, an autonomous truck manufacturer, has partnered with furniture manufacturer IKEA to pilot autonomous freight deliveries in Texas.

The collaboration began in August and involves a Kodiak Robotics’ autonomous heavy-duty truck transporting IKEA products between an IKEA Distribution Center in Baytown and an IKEA Store in Frisco throughout the week, covering a 300 miles distance.

Kodiak Robotics’ trucks are also accompanied by a safety driver in order to take control if needed.

Analyst QuickTake: Today’s partnership builds on Kodiak Robotics’ recent pilots with companies such as Ceva Logistics, U.S. Xpress, 10 Roads Express, and Werner Enterprises. Furthermore, Texas has always been a popular destination for autonomous trucking companies, given its location, availability of academic and research institutions, and the Texan government’s encouragement. Other autonomous trucking companies with operations in Texas include Waymo, Daimler, Aurora Innovation, TuSimple, Embark Trucks, and Gatik.