Forward Air Corp. has partnered with self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics to transport goods between Dallas and Atlanta using an autonomous truck, intending to gather real-world data to aid in autonomous tech development.
Don Burnette, CEO of Kodiak Robotics, noted the successful partnership due to a safety driver team monitoring the autonomous system by hours-of-service regulations. The truck is expected to run 800 miles daily.
Tom Schmitt, CEO of Forward, mentioned they are searching for new technologies to help their customers. Thus, they collaborated with Kodiak, renowned for autonomous trucking, to explore potential advantages.
Autonomous trucks won’t replace independent contractors but could be suitable for certain routes in carriers’ networks. Kodiak has already partnered with other carriers for freight transportation, and the new alliance focuses on expedited freight. They want to customize the solution to Forward’s needs, increasing efficiency and reliability.
Burnette stressed that each carrier/fleet operates differently, and the partnership between Forward Air and Kodiak is to examine autonomous tech’s capabilities/restrictions. He noted that the 24-6 continuous operation will offer greater insight into expedited freight needs/demands than short-term programs.
Dallas-Atlanta was chosen for its round-trip lanes, freight volume, and service hours. Burnette wanted to demonstrate the system’s resilience and reliability on a multi-hour freight corridor.
Burnette reported their relationship had developed since early 2022, and working together in the last six months was “fantastic.” Forward Air is #27 on the Transport Topics Top 100 list of the biggest for-hire carriers in North America and #1 on the air/expedited sector list.
Source:
https://www.ttnews.com/articles/forward-air-kodiak-partner-route
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