Gatik and Walmart Launch World's First Fully Driverless Middle-Mile Deliveries
Gatik operates autonomous box trucks for Walmart in Arkansas without a safety driver, marking a global first for the commercial trucking industry. The daily middle-mile route moves goods between a dark store and a Neighborhood Market to improve e-commerce fulfillment speed.
Gatik and Walmart achieve a major milestone in autonomous logistics by completing fully driverless commercial deliveries in Bentonville, Arkansas. Gatik operates multi-temperature autonomous box trucks on public roads without a safety driver behind the wheel to move customer orders between a Walmart dark store and a Neighborhood Market. This deployment represents the first time globally that an autonomous trucking company removes the safety driver from a commercial middle-mile delivery route.
The fully driverless operations begin in August 2021 and run consistently multiple times a day, seven days a week. These repeated, revenue-generating runs on public roads unlock the full advantages of autonomous delivery for Walmart's customers. The technology increases speed and responsiveness for e-commerce order fulfillment, improves asset utilization, and enhances overall safety for everyone on the road.
State and company leaders praise the historic launch as a revolutionary breakthrough for the retail and autonomous trucking industries. Walmart highlights that autonomous box trucks offer an efficient and safe solution for transporting goods on repeatable routes, while Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson notes it is fitting for the state to serve as the launching pad for this retail delivery innovation. Gatik's CEO emphasizes that these are not one-time demonstrations, but rather frequent, safe, and commercially viable daily operations.