IKEA is set become the first company to use Kodiak’s driverless freight technology without a safety observer, later in 2026.
The companies have worked together for four years, during which time Kodiak has delivered more than 1,300 loads and logged over 750,000 miles while autonomously transporting IKEA goods with a safety observer on board. Kodiak says the service has operated seven days a week in a range of conditions, achieving a near-perfect on-time delivery record.
The driverless service will begin on a route in Texas that Kodiak has tested for four years. The initial driver-out leg will cover 352km, primarily along Interstate 45 between Kodiak’s Houston and Dallas-area facilities. It forms part of the established 470km route connecting the IKEA distribution center in Baytown with its store in Frisco.
Over the course of the partnership, Kodiak has also developed processes around the operational details of driverless freight, including, it says, when and where trucks should be dispatched, predicting arrival times to support scheduled unloading and using predictive maintenance data to plan servicing proactively.
Ahead of the launch, Kodiak is completing its highway safety case for driverless long-haul operations. The safety case provides a structured, evidence-based argument that Kodiak Driver, its autonomous driving system, can operate safely without a human on board within a defined operating area.
Kodiak and IKEA say focusing autonomous trucking on long-haul routes could improve working conditions for drivers by enabling them to focus on local routes, reducing the time spent sleeping away from home and allowing more time with family and friends.
Kodiak is undergoing its final checks in preparation for its launch.
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