• Kodiak Robotics, an autonomous truck manufacturer, has partnered with logistics and supply chain company Ceva Logistics for autonomous commerical cargo hauling (with a safety driver) across Texas and Oklahoma. This also marks the first autonomous freight delivery operation in Oklahoma.

• Today, the companies revealed that they began operations between Dallas-Forth Worth and Austin, Texas (a 200 miles stretch) in November last year and expanded coverage to include a new route between Dallas-Fort Worth and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (also a 200-mile stretch) in February this year.

• Upon success, the companies plan to integrate Kodiak Robotics’ self-driving technology into Ceva Logistics’ North American truck fleet in the future.  

<ul><li>I Analyst QuickTake : Today’s news comes just four months after Kodiak Robotics raised USD 125 million in a Series B funding round partially to fast-track commercialization and expand its autonomous service capabilities across the country. The company has been conducting commercial deliveries in Texas with a safety driver since mid-2019. Texas has always been a popular destination for autonomous trucking companies given its geographical location, availability of academic and research institutions, and the Texan government’s encouragement. Other autonomous trucking companies with operations in Texas include Google Waymo, Daimler, Gatik, TuSimple, Embark Trucks, and Aurora Innovation. </ul>