Kodiak ready to ‘pull the driver’ and launch unsupervised driverless trucks by end of year

Kodiak’s unsupervised driverless long-haul delivery trucks will soon hit Texas roads as its partnership with Swedish furniture giant IKEA enters a new phase.

Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette joined “Varney & Co.” Tuesday to shed light on the rollout and the technology behind the autonomous trucks.

“We’re starting with one. We’re gonna get that first one out by the end of the year, and then we’re gonna start to scale throughout 2027 and beyond.” 

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Burnette said IKEA will serve as the launch partner later in the year.

“We’re doing just over 200-mile trips to start, but nobody in the driver’s seat, nobody in [the] cab,” Burnette said. 

Burnette explained that Kodiak provides the AI-powered software that serves as “the brain” behind how the autonomous trucks drive.

“We’ve proven the technology is safe and reliable. We’ve done a lot of work over the last decade or so to make sure we’ve covered every contingency, and now we’re ready to go,” he said.

Burnette told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney that the company has spent “millions of miles and years” teaching the trucks how to safely handle emergency situations and does not rely on “external capabilities or communications for safety.”

“In the event that it gets stuck, or it doesn’t understand, it can safely come to a stop, it can pull over, it can take an exit, it can call home for help. And we can go in and remotely assist the truck and say, ‘hey, this is what you should do in this situation.’”

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The news of Kodiak’s launch comes as trucking companies grapple with rising diesel fuel costs and concerns grow regarding the potential economic impact of automation. 

“We can save on fuel economy. They don’t drive anywhere they’re not supposed to. They’re very smooth. And more importantly, they’re safe. They sit in the right-hand lane. They go the speed limit. They mind their own business. They are very defensive. And so that additionally has cost savings down the line,” Burnette said.