Kodiak Robotics, Inc., and C.R. England, Inc., have announced a new partnership by launching a pilot program to autonomously ship Tyson Foods products between Dallas and San Antonio, Texas. The deliveries will use Kodiak self-driving trucks and C.R. England refrigerated trailers. Safety drivers will be in the trucks in the initial stages of the pilot project.
A statement said, through this partnership, C.R. England also joined Kodiak’s Partner Deployment Program, which helps carriers establish autonomous freight operations and seamlessly integrate the Kodiak Driver, Kodiak's self-driving system, into their fleet. Integrating self-driving trucks into C.R. England’s fleet will introduce a host of environmental and other benefits, including improved safety, reduced fuel consumption, and lower carbon emissions, according to the companies.
“One of the categories where C.R. England is a leader is in perishable foods, which require the safest, most reliable, on-time delivery possible. Kodiak’s proven performance and commitment to customer success makes it a great partner to help us introduce autonomous service into our operations,” said Chad England, CEO, C.R. England. “Working with Kodiak enables us to better understand how autonomous vehicles fit into our fleet of the future while continuing to deliver high quality service and value to great customers like Tyson.
"By employing self-driving trucks, we can increase capacity and expedite deliveries without sacrificing customer service, as our valued drivers will take over to interface with customers and consignees at either end of the load. Our intent is to be a ‘one-stop shop’ for customers, whether they need their freight moved autonomously or not.”
Don Burnette, founder and CEO of, Kodiak said, “C.R. England’s extensive premium service network provides the ideal scenario for the introduction of autonomous trucks,. The potential benefits of Kodiak’s technology are far-reaching—for shippers whose reputations are built on the freshness of their products, to end consumers who rely on companies like Tyson Foods to provide products they can trust. Our partnership with C.R. England will clearly demonstrate our value proposition of increasing safety, efficiency, and reliability for Tyson Foods and the entire supply chain.”
