Kodiak Robotics and Pilot announced the opening of their first truckport in Villa Rica, Georgia. It will be used by Kodiak to launch and land trucks on its 18,000-mile autonomous network and will serve as a hub for last-mile deliveries.
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"Parterning with Pilot Company to build the Villa Rica truckport ensures that we have access to the truckport services we need, utilizing Pilot's industry-leading travel center network," says Don Burnette, founder and CEO of Kodiak. "This partnership, combined with Kodiak's flexible technology stack, enables our scalable, asset-light approach to building our truckport network. The freight lane between Dallas and Atlanta is critical to the nation's supply chain and economy, and this truckport enables us to refine our operations model as we continue to grow."
The Villa Rica truckport will be the eastern satellite hub for Kodiak. The company's Dallas-Fort Worth hub will serve as the main terminal for its fleet. The truckport is also a model for future facilities, which are designed to be scalable.
Comprehensive services at the Pilot truckport include refueling, light maintenance and pre-trip inspections.
"Pilot Company rigorously tests ways to integrate new technologies, including autonomous trucks, to maintain our safety-first focus and continue fueling the trucking industry," says Brandon Trama, director of strategy and business development at Pilot. "Working with Kodiak aligns with our emphasis on improving the quality of life for professional drivers. Autonomous trucks focus on the long, repeatable highway miles, leaving more enticing, local, first- and last-deliveries for professional drivers who can stay closer to home."
Pilot is an investor Kodiak and a member of the company's board of directors. The two companies are exploring more options for expansion.
