Kodiak taps IKEA to launch driverless freight on I-45

Kodiak named Dallas-Houston as its long-haul launch lane on Sept. 25. 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. On those runs, the safety observer never touched the wheel, including on surface streets, according to Kodiak.

Safety case still open

Before the driver comes out, Kodiak has to finish its highway launch safety case, which the company describes as a structured, evidence-backed argument that the Kodiak Driver can operate without a human aboard in a defined area. Its Autonomy Readiness Measure, the share of claims and evidence in that safety case that are materially complete, 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.

Kodiak already runs driverless trucks commercially for Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin, work that began in December 2024. The two companies expect to put that fleet on public roads in early 2027. IKEA’s freight could reach a public highway first.

Last week, Kodiak and PrePass began routing inspection clearances from Kodiak’s driverless trucks into state weigh station systems in Texas and Louisiana. A driverless truck cannot talk to a roadside inspector, so the CVSA Enhanced Inspection clearance travels through PrePass and stays valid for up to 24 hours.

Four years on the IKEA lane

The IKEA service ran seven days a week, “night and day, rain and shine,” Burnette wrote, with what he called “an impressive, nearly perfect on-time delivery record.” The post did not include an on-time percentage.

The runs also taught Kodiak what Burnette called “the little things that really matter”: when and where to launch trucks, exactly when they will arrive in Frisco so unloading can be booked to a specific dock door, and how to turn predictive maintenance data into proactive maintenance plans.

Burnette wrote that the long-haul focus lets the human drivers who remain concentrate on the local jobs “that most prefer.” “They can reduce their time sleeping on the side of the highway and instead be home with family and friends,” he wrote.

He added that Kodiak’s driverless work will continue with IKEA and other customers after the launch.

“Mile by mile, we intend to build trust and gain traction until driver-out service is a routine and everyday part of the long-haul trucking landscape,” he wrote.

Why it matters: IKEA freight is set to be Kodiak’s first driverless long-haul service on a public interstate, ahead of its Permian fleet’s planned move to public roads in early 2027. The launch hinges on Kodiak closing its safety case, which was 93% complete at the end of August.