Mountain View, CA-based self-driving trucking company Kodiak Robotics Inc. today announced that Loadsmith, a leading third-party CaaS (capacity-as-a-service) logistics platform for shippers and carriers, will equip 800 trucks with Kodiak’s self-driving technology. The Kodiak Driver-equipped autonomous trucks will serve as the foundation for the newly established Loadsmith Freight Network (LFN), built by what’s said to be the first freight transportation company built specifically for self-driving trucks. Kodiak will begin delivering its Driver-powered self-driving trucks in the second half of 2025.
“Loadsmith is the first trucking company built specifically for autonomous trucks, and we are proud that they selected Kodiak as the backbone of their operations,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak Robotics. “Loadsmith’s Founder Brett Suma is one of trucking’s true visionaries, and now he is using his deep and unique experience to rethink logistics for the autonomous era.”
A fleet of trucks from the Denver, CO-based Loadsmith equipped with the Kodiak Driver will complete the long-haul portions of deliveries, while human-driven trucks booked on the CaaS company’s platform will do local pickups and deliveries. The two companies plan to enable shippers to move freight more efficiently, reliably, and safely by pairing autonomous long-haul trucks with local drivers that will rendezvous at hubs along and within the LFN.
“Loadsmith’s partnership with Kodiak is founded on the belief that freight transportation is preparing to undergo a profound technological transformation, with autonomous middle-mile trucking leading the way,” said Brett Suma, Founder & CEO of Loadsmith, and former Vice President of Operations for Knight Transportation. “Loadsmith’s expertise in network design and freight execution combined with Kodiak’s best-in-class autonomous trucking technology demonstrates a new model for how two companies can collaborate to usher in a new era of transportation.”
Founded in 2019, Loadsmith says it was built by industry professionals who have worked with America’s carriers to deliver “top of the line” business management and transportation services using strategically distributed pools of preloaded drop trailers for higher throughput and lower wait times. The company’s proprietary logistics platform will strategically deploy 6000 trailers on the LFN to maximize the utilization of the Kodiak-powered trucks on the network. By pairing self-driving trucks and local manual trucks on the same network, it says it can rapidly scale autonomous deliveries and convert significant amounts of freight volume from traditional trucking methods to a more flexible and on-demand service.
The model will allow shippers to leverage autonomous trucks for the long-haul lanes that are less desirable for many drivers. It helps reimagine the driver’s job by creating attractive local driving opportunities and simultaneously relieving the driver shortage that continues to plague American supply chains.
As part of the agreement, Loadsmith has joined the Kodiak Partner Deployment Program, which helps shippers and carriers establish autonomous freight operations and integrate the Kodiak Driver into their fleets. Other Kodiak partners include C.R. England and Tyson, IKEA, Werner, and Forward.
Kodiak’s modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a sensor-pod structure optimized for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the U.S. South, operating autonomously on the highway portions of the routes. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self-driving software to develop, test, and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense.
