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| Walmart uses driverless trucks for delivery |
The two companies announced that Wal-Mart has partnered with startup Gatik to offer fully autonomous pickup trucks between their respective locations on a 7-mile landline.
The two companies said that despite these restrictions, streets in Bentonville, Arkansas, have intersections and traffic lights that run through busy city streets.
After Cruise launched its self-driving taxis for testing last week, the announcement was an advance for self-driving cars.
Gatik Trucks delivers Wal-Mart grocery orders to a grocery store near Bentonville, where the company is headquartered.
This route covers the average distance between warehouse and warehouse for the transportation of goods. The program began after Arkansas Highway Commission approval in December 2020 and has been driverless since this summer.
This new service is part of Wal-Mart's transition to a pivot sales model with warehouses or distribution centers close to the customer.
"This means a smaller warehouse," said Gatik's CEO. As a result, trips between the distribution center and the collection point are becoming more frequent.
Walmart isn't the first supermarket to use fully autonomous trucks. In 2018, Kroger partnered with Nuro, an independent grocery delivery company.
However, at the time of launch, the Nuro truck was very small. Wal-Mart and Gatik use full-size pickup trucks.
#1 in the independent trucking industry
Both companies use electric pickup trucks to conduct similar trials in New Orleans. It is sent directly to the customer's collection point.
However, it is currently operated by a safety driver. So, the Arkansas experience without a driver for the first time.
Working in Bentonville is a daily, repetitive and profitable operation and trucks can be safely locked in a variety of road conditions. This illustrates the commercial and technical advantages of a fully driverless medium-term operation.
This contract marks the first time an independent freight forwarder has removed a safe driver from a mid-range commercial delivery route anywhere in the world.