Tyson Foods and Gatik AI recently announced a multi-year collaboration to deploy autonomous refrigerated box trucks to bolster Tyson routes in Northwest Arkansas. The trucks will operate 18 hours a day to deliver to the company’s distribution and storage facilities in the Rogers and Springdale, Arkansas, areas.
“At Tyson Foods, we are innovating and using automation throughout our business, including in transportation,” said Patrick Simmons, Vice President of Transportation for Tyson Foods. “This partnership allows us to strategically place our drivers where they are needed most while still reliably and safely transporting protein from the plant to distribution centers.”
This deployment will introduce Gatik trucks equipped with commercial-grade autonomous technology to the Tyson supply chain, operating on predetermined short-haul, repeated routes to support fast and efficient product flow from plant to storage facilities.
The collaboration will include multiple trucks, with the potential for future expansion at other Tyson locations. As noted in the release, the autonomous trucks are equipped with a 26-foot temperature-controlled box purpose-built to transport refrigerated and frozen goods quickly and safely and multiple sensor modalities that are custom-designed for fail-safe short-haul B2B operations. A safety driver will initially be present in the cab to monitor the autonomous system and take command of operating the truck if required.
“We’re excited to partner with Tyson Foods to reduce cost and complexity within their regional distribution architecture,” said Gatik Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Gautam Narang. “This is a significant moment for Gatik as we introduce Class 7 autonomous box trucks into our fleet. Our partnership with Tyson is poised to drive long-term innovation and supply chain resiliency while delivering tangible, near-term value.”
More information can be found here.
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