Behavior Planning Intern - Motion Planning

Kodiak AI and Charger Logistics have launched autonomous freight service on a 435-mile route between Dallas and Laredo, Texas. The trucks transport refrigerated and dry van freight for consumer packaged goods and food and beverage customers, with the first delivery completed on 8 September. A safety driver currently operates the vehicles. The companies plan to transition to driverless operations once Kodiak completes its safety case. Kodiak's Autonomy Readiness Measure reached 96% at the end of September, up from 84% in February. Laredo is the highest-volume commercial land port in the US, handling more than $350 billion in international trade in 2025. Kodiak plans to launch long-haul driverless service by the end of 2026 on its Dallas-Houston lane.

Kodiak AI, Charger Logistics launch autonomous Laredo lane. The 435-mile route is Kodiak's first to Laredo, the highest-volume commercial land port of entry in the U.S. · Friday, October 09, 2026 Kodiak AI and Charger Logistics have launched autonomous freight service on the 435-mile lane between Charger's terminals in Dallas and Laredo, Texas, the companies announced Thursday. The trucks haul refrigerated and dry van freight for consumer packaged goods and food and beverage customers. The first delivery ran Sept. 8. A safety driver is behind the wheel for now. The companies plan to move the lane to driverless operations once Kodiak completes its safety case. Kodiak's long-haul Autonomy Readiness Measure, which tracks the share of claims and evidence in that safety case, reached 96% at the end of September. That was up from 93% at the end of August and 84% in February. The company plans to launch long-haul driverless service by the end of 2026 on its Dallas-Houston lane along Interstate 45. Its driverless trucks have operated in commercial service in the Permian Basin since December 2024. Refrigerated and dry van freight to Laredo. Laredo is the highest-volume commercial land port of entry in the U.S., and the Charger lane is Kodiak's first route serving it. The Port of Laredo handled more than $350 billion in international trade in 2025, nearly 40% of all U.S. trade with Mexico, according to the Kodiak press release. Consumer packaged goods and food and beverage freight moves in steady, high-volume flows tied to retail replenishment schedules, Kodiak said, which makes predictable transit times and longer operating hours worth more. Charger is an asset-based carrier operating in the U.S. and Mexico, with temperature-controlled freight among its core service lines. It runs its network on a proprietary transportation management system and a set of in-house applications. "Autonomy lets us build a network that serves both our customers and our drivers," said Andy Khera, president of Charger Logistics, in the announcement. "Combining our in-house TMS, managed transportation, and the Kodiak Driver creates a nearly fully automated ecosystem that gives our customers long-term capacity continuity through changing labor markets and freight demand, while bringing our drivers home every night." Expansion into Charger's fleet. Under its Driver-as-a-Service model, Kodiak deploys the Kodiak Driver on trucks its customers own and operate. The companies expect to add lanes in Charger's network over time as the carrier integrates the Kodiak Driver into its own fleet. Charger also has an autonomous trucking agreement with Aurora Innovation on the same lane. Aurora announced in late July that Charger would deploy Aurora's second-generation driverless trucks between Dallas and Laredo. That deal, reported in August, is a transportation-as-a-service agreement, under which Aurora holds the U.S. Department of Transportation operating authority, controls the truck and carries the insurance. "Charger came to us knowing what they wanted from autonomy and what they need to see before scaling it," said Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. "The Dallas-Laredo lane extends the Kodiak Driver into a new corridor, and gives both companies the operating foundation we need to scale driverless service." Upcoming FreightWaves Events Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN F3 Awards Dinner The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room. October 26, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals. October 27, 2026 - October 28, 2026 The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo - Chattanooga, TN

Kodiak partners with IKEA to launch trucking service with 'completely empty cab' on I-45 in Texas in 2026. Published: September 30, 2026 Autonomous trucking technology company Kodiak announced the next steps in a years-long partnership with furniture giant IKEA. In a September 29 news release, Kodiak announced that "unsupervised driverless operations" for trucks hauling IKEA freight are "only months away" and expected to take place later in 2026. The "driver-out" operations will take place on I-45 in Texas with "no human in the cab," the company said. "The initial driver-out leg will cover 219 miles, primarily along Interstate 45 between Kodiak's Houston and Dallas-area facilities. This is part of the established 292-mile delivery route connecting the IKEA distribution center in Baytown with the IKEA store in Frisco," said Kodiak. Kodiak and IKEA have been working towards driverless operations for four years. As part of the partnership between the two companies, Kodiak's autonomous trucks have delivered more than 1,300 loads and traveled over 750,000 miles "while autonomously carrying IKEA goods with a safety observer aboard." Kodiak says that its autonomous truck technology has delivered IKEA freight along the I-45 route safely for four years. Ahead of the launch, Kodiak says it is completing a highway launch safety case, "a structured, evidence-backed argument that the Kodiak Driver, our autonomous driving system, is safe to operate without a human on board in a defined operating area." "By concentrating on long-haul routes, Kodiak and IKEA have learned how adopting autonomous truck technology can enhance human driver's quality of life, focusing their efforts on the local driving jobs that most prefer. They can reduce their time sleeping on the side of the highway and instead be home with family and friends," the company said. Get the hottest daily trucking news. This week in trucking. Crime September 30, 2026