Kodiak AI has added a 435-mile autonomous freight lane in Texas through a partnership with Charger USA, according to an October 8 company announcement reported by Trucking Dive on October 21.
Source: Trucking Dive
Charger trucks equipped with Kodiak's autonomous driver system are transporting refrigerated and dry freight for consumer packaged goods and food and beverage customers between Charger's terminals in Dallas and Laredo. The companies completed their first delivery on September 8, with a safety driver on board.
Driverless is the goal, not the present
Kodiak intends to run the route without a driver once it completes its safety case, a milestone it expects for its separate Dallas-Fort Worth to Houston driverless launch by the end of 2026, Trucking Dive reported. FreightWaves, reporting the same announcement, also said a safety driver is behind the wheel for now and that the companies plan to move the lane to driverless operations once the safety case is complete.
Source: FreightWaves
Charger, based in Griffith, Indiana, has 481 power units and 542 drivers in its fleet, according to Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data cited by Trucking Dive. Kodiak founder and CEO Don Burnette said Charger "came to us knowing what they wanted from autonomy" in the announcement.
What is solid
- Kodiak and Charger announced on October 8 that autonomous-equipped trucks are hauling freight on the 435-mile Dallas-Laredo lane, with a safety driver on board, and the first delivery ran September 8.
- Laredo is Kodiak's first route to that border port, which the announcement said handled over $350 billion in trade in 2025.
What is only claimed
- Driverless operation on the Dallas-Laredo lane has not begun — it is planned only after Kodiak completes its safety case, and no date was given for this lane.
- How autonomy will affect driver jobs and schedules on this lane was not specified in the announcement beyond the companies' stated aims.