Gatik, an autonomous truck developer for middle-mile delivery, announced a collaboration with retail giant Kroger to deploy Gatik’s medium-duty autonomous box trucks and transport products from Kroger’s Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC) in Dallas, Texas. The companies look to launch the service in Q2 2023.

Gatik’s trucks are equipped with a 20-foot cold chain-capable box and will handle the transportation of groceries, foodstuffs, and general merchandise for 12 hours a day, seven days a week. The companies expect the partnership to improve Kroger’s same-day pick-up times and order cut-off times.

Analyst QuickTake : Today’s deal adds Kroger to Gatik’s growing list of partners, including pulp and paper company Georgia Pacific and ecommerce logistics company Pitney Bowes , which have collaborated to haul goods in Texas. 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 Kodiak Robotics.