Kodiak Robotics, an autonomous truck manufacturer, has entered a partnership with third-party logistics company Loadsmith to deploy 800 Kodiak-equipped trucks under Loadsmith's newly formed freight transportation company for self-driving trucks, "Loadsmith Transportation."

Under the partnership agreement, Kodiak will equip Loadsmith’s truck fleet with its self-driving hardware and software. Kodiak will charge Loadsmith a subscription on a per-mile basis.

The electric trucks will be purchased through dealerships and will be owned and operated by Loadsmith under its Loadsmith’s freight network (LFN), an ecosystem of predefined routes and freight hubs. Loadsmith plans to commence operations in the southern states of the US with plans to eventually expand across the country. The two companies plan to deploy the initial Kodiak-equipped trucks in the second half of 2025.

Loadsmith initially placed an order for 350 autonomous trucks for its freight network through TuSimple in May 2022, but this was canceled several months later. 

Analyst QuickTake: Kodiak and Loadsmith's intended geographic areas for autonomous truck operations are not unfamiliar to Kodiak. In fact, Kodiak has already carried out pilot and freight runs of its self-driving technology across Southern states such as Texas , Oklahoma , and Georgia .