Kodiak to launch driverless IKEA freight on Texas I-45 later this year
Kodiak AI will haul IKEA freight with no one in the cab on a 219-mile stretch of Interstate 45 in Texas later this year. IKEA Supply is the launch shipper for the service, which forms part of an existing 292-mile route between its Baytown distribution center and Frisco store.
The driverless trips mainly operate between Kodiak’s facilities in Houston and the Dallas area. In the last four years, Kodiak moved over 1,300 IKEA loads autonomously with a safety observer, covering more than 750,000 miles. Starting in August, Kodiak launched its driverless long-haul program and now regularly hauls freight between its Lancaster, Texas hub and Houston without anyone behind the wheel. Kodiak’s autonomy readiness measure was 93% at the end of August, up from 84% in February, and the company expects to reach 100% and launch driverless operations by year-end.
“Unsupervised driverless operations – no human in the cab – represent a milestone the entire Kodiak team has been tirelessly working toward since Kodiak was founded more than eight years ago,” Don Burnette, founder and CEO, Kodiak AI said.
“They can reduce their time sleeping on the side of the highway and instead be home with family and friends,” Don Burnette, founder and CEO, Kodiak AI said.
Over the past four years, Kodiak has delivered more than 1,300 loads and logged more than 750,000 miles carrying IKEA goods autonomously with a safety observer aboard, founder and CEO Don Burnette wrote in a company post announcing the partnership update. The company began its driverless long-haul launch program in August and said it now consistently completes deliveries between its Lancaster, Texas, hub and Houston without human intervention. Kodiak already runs driverless trucks commercially for Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin, work that began in December 2024.
What we know
219-mile stretch of Interstate 45 in Texas
Kodiak named Dallas-Houston as its long-haul launch lane on Sept. 25
Over the past four years, Kodiak has delivered more than 1,300 loads and logged more than 750,000 miles carrying IKEA goods autonomously with a safety observer aboard
Its Autonomy Readiness Measure stood at 93% for long-haul operations at the end of August, up from 84% in February
Kodiak said it expects to reach 100% and launch driverless operations by year-end