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Kodiak Launches Driverless Freight Service With IKEA on Texas Interstate 45

Autonomous trucking company Kodiak will begin operating driverless trucks without safety observers for IKEA later this year on a 219-mile stretch of Interstate 45 in Texas. The service connects Kodiak's Houston and Dallas-area facilities as part of IKEA's 292-mile delivery route between its Baytown distribution center and Frisco store. Over the past four years, Kodiak has delivered more than 1,300 loads and accumulated more than 750,000 miles hauling IKEA shipments with a safety observer aboard. The company's Autonomy Readiness Measure reached 93% completion for long-haul operations in August, up from 84% in February. Kodiak expects to achieve 100% completion and launch fully driverless operations by year-end. The company already operates driverless trucks commercially for Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin, with plans to transition that fleet to public roads in early 2027.